Fenris Really Is Bullshit [Sunwell][Eevachu + WillowtheWhisp]

Quest: Fenris Really Is Bullshit

Every step he took, he felt like he was being roasted alive while simultaneously being eaten, as if he were some sort of spectacular cuisine. His feet dragged across the sand, carrying him forward amid the blistering heat from up above. Shielding his eyes from the sun with his hat, Rika glared at it angrily. "I hate the sun. . . " He muttered as he shuffled along. At least he would reach the Eastern Caves in a couple hours or so, having passed Rauru not too long ago. The town of Rauru seemed more populated by monsters than usual, requiring him to distance himself even further from it to avoid any conflicts along the way. "I guess it's true what they said, monsters are showing up more than usual. . ." He mused aloud. His wardrobe was mostly unchanged, though he was wearing less clothing than usual. His clothes were already rather loose and flowing, but he had too many layers initially to where he would suffocate in them. Glancing down at his hand, a small orb of water slowly formed. Holding it above his head, Rika gently punctured it with his thumb, causing water to drizzle out of it and onto him and his mouth. "Refreshing. . . Want any, Wollo?" Rika questioned the figure next to him.

The hero of the story, Wollo, was not naturally well equipped for these environments. To make up for this, using his removed clothes and other clothes he obtained, Rika made a makeshift tent above Wollo to shield him from the sun. It would protect his wide, exposed back from burning and blistering, allowing him to stay cooler. In fact, after removing the element of the sun, this environment was probably rather close to Wollo's swampy origins, leaving him more comfortable than others may. "Uhh. . . yes. . . uhh, please." Wollo responded, causing Rika to hold his hand down towards Wollo's snout and let him drink.

As much as Rika hated the desert, he couldn't help but momentarily question why he was here; though of course, he already knew the answer as clear as day. After reverting what had befallen the Kokiri Forest, the Great Deku Tree requested for Rika to assist other parts of Hyrule against the dark events that are happening, as he is one of the few who can. There was no way Rika could refuse a request from his father, especially after all of the grief and sorrow he had dealt with in amending their relationship. Plus, the idea of a magical portal to some unknown land excited Rika. There could be hidden, unexplored lands, and rare treasure in there. That alone would be enough to motivate Rika to go, but the request simply gave him no other option than to.

With that, the Kokiri and Octorok continued onward to their soon-t0-reach destination, the Eastern Caves.

Dante, and his employer, had been walking for quite some time now. Honestly, the Deku was surprised that the Korok's legs were able to keep moving. In fact, it seemed he might run out of stamina before Bepu did, which came as even greater a surprise. "You're just a sandwich delivery man, right? I find that hard to believe, considering how easily your managing to keep up." Dante panted out, taking a swig of cool, refreshing water from his belt canteen.

Bepu shrugged, the light glinting off of his goggles. "I don't know what you mean by just a Sandwich Delivery man. I happen to pride myself on being the best there is. There isn't a place on Hyrule I couldn't make it to, if it's for a customer." The Korok harumphed proudly, placing both stubby hands to his hips. It was true, though. He may not be a warrior, but when it came to marching, well, even the longest of distances wasn't all that daunting. But monsters, and the like, were why he'd hired Dante. They'd already run into a bit of trouble, so the investment had been a sound one. Bepu couldn't help but wonder why a man would want a sandwich straight from Castle Town, delivered all the way out here, but hauling his weight in ice, just to keep everything cold and fresh, was not pleasant. Ah well. Customers come first.

Dante shook his head at the strange pride: the Korok was wasted on being a deli employee. Could have made an excellent messenger or mailman. He pushed along, walking for a few more minutes in silence, just below the crest of the dune. But, the quiet was soon interrupted: "Want any, Wollo?" rang out into the air. Words, Dante was sure, that he would have never thought he would hear, out by the Eastern Caves. The hell? He climbed up to the top of the dune, and looked down its slope to find a Kokiri, with his faithful Octorok pet. Rika?

He voiced his confusion. "Rika?" He called out, just as Bepu climbed up next to him.

"Hey!" Bepu yelled out, just as he turned to face the two figures down below, seeing only a monster about to attack a hapless Kokiri. "Leave him alone!" Bepu pulled out a fistful of Ember Seeds, and was about to throw them down at the Octorok: only, now he found himself tumbling in the sand. Dante's eyes had grown wide as Bepu had gone to retrieve the seeds, and had only just managed to tackle the Korok into the ground. The two skid to a halt, a tangled mess of wood, right before Rika.

"Dante?" Rika replied with an equal amount of shock as his old Deku friend called out to him. What a coincidence to run into him here! As Bepu drew his seeds to attack Wollo, Dante immediately tackled him, causing them to tumble down to Rika's feet. The Kokiri stared down at them, completely bemused. The Korok's actions had gone completely unknown to Wollo, as the Octorok happily ran towards Dante, gingerly nuzzling his friend despite him being on the ground as of present. Meanwhile, Rika walked over to the Korok and picked him up with one hand by the leg, holding him upside down and lifting him up to eye height. "What do you think you're doing with those seeds, huh?" Rika glared bemusedly at him, somewhat threatening the Korok who had just attempted to attack his friend.

Then, he glanced down at Dante who was presumably still being assaulted by Wollo. ". . . Just what are you doing here anyway, Dante?"

Wollo was just happy they ran into friends instead of a scary monster that would eat him.

"Wait, we have to help Dante! We've got to hel.... Oh." Bepu coughed once, awkwardly. A few grains of sand plopped out from his hair, as Rika continued to hold him up by the leg. Apparently the mustachioed Octorok was a friendly one, if his interactions with Dante were to be a judge of anything. And the Kokiri and Dante were obviously acquainted--wait, a friendly Octorok? What the hell? It was then that he felt a bit of cold water running down his head, forcing a shiver to propagate through his body. Oh hell, his pack was leaking water from the top. He was thankful for the fact that he'd wrapped the bread in some waterproof coverings, but if it hadn't been for his foresight... "Can you please put me down now, sirrah?"

After Dante stood up, from tussling with with Wollo, he looked over at Rika. "Oh, I'm here partially because of him. Escorting him to the Eastern Caves and all that, plus there's strange tidings of a portal's appearance. Guessing that's why you're here?" Dante laughed, while he straightened out Wollo's sun-gear, which was a bit askance.

Rika couldn't help but stifle a laugh as the water dripped out of Bepu's bag and down his head. "Okay, okay." Rika dismissed, turning Bepu around with his other hand and setting him upright. Glancing down at Bepu as Dante spoke, Rika raised an eyebrow. "Him?" He questioned, before letting out a small chuckle. "You guessed it though, Dante. You know me, I could never resist the temptation a life risking adventure into a mysterious portal!" He threw his hands in the air dramatically as he spoke, the sarcasm cutting the thick, desert heat in half. ". . . Of course, I have a more noble reason than just that this time; it's a mission given to me by father." As Rika spoke, the Octorok cautiously eyed Bepu. Was he also a friend? Slowly inching towards Bepu, Wollo prepared to shove his mustachioed snout into Bepu's side, delivering onto him the ultimate Octorok nuzzle. After all, if he was with Dante, one of the best of friends of Wollo's, he must also be a friend of Wollo's.

". . . Escorting though, huh? Who is this guy, some sort of noble?" Rika questioned, pausing for a moment before adding, ". . . Let's talk while we walk, since we're headed to the same place. This heat is killing me."

"Ack!" Bepu tumbled to the side, sliding in the sand as Wollo's nuzzle pushed against him. The latch upon his backpack came undone, sending a myriad of sandwich making materials tumbling away. Swiftly, muttering to himself about not letting any sand get into the product, Bepu tried to gather the ingredients up again, shooting Wollo a wary glare. He threw a slice of ham, clearly too covered in grime now, at the Octorok. "Back, back I say!" The sliced meat landed unceremoniously onto Wollo's snout, draping itself fetchingly across his.

Ignoring the antics, Dante cocked a head to the side as he listened to Rika. Father? This was the first he'd ever heard Rika mention his father. But Rika was right: wherever there was adventure, the Kokiri mage would be soon to follow. "Yeah, I guess he's a sandwich delivery man," Dante started. Bepu winced. He could always tell when people didn't capitalize his title. Like he was some run of the mill delivery boy. He stuffed a cabbage back into his backpack with aplomb. "And he's got a job in the Eastern Caves. Guess his shop is on the up and up, back in Castle Town, so they get orders from everywhere. Apparently." Dante shrugged. Wasn't the weirdest thing they'd ever encountered. But Rika was right: no reason to stop moving, and it wasn't long before the four were on their way again.

Rika looked astounded. "A sandwich. . . delivery man. . . ? So you're telling me he's delivering sandwiches from Castle Town to the Eastern Caves. . . ?" Rika thought about it for a moment, a large wave of suspicion washing over him. ". . . Well, I don't really believe that, but I don't really care!" Then he glanced down at the Octorok, who was trying to get the sliced meat off of his snout. "Wollo, don't eat his food! You can eat later." Rika lightly scolded the Octorok, grabbing the meat and pulling it off his nose. He examined the sand coated meat for a moment before disgustedly tossing it to the ground. "You know, maybe you're right Dante. He seems too ridiculous to be anything but." Rika chuckled at his comment, not really caring if it came across as insulting or not.

"Well, I'm Rika. Your new friend there is Wollo." Rika smirked, the Octorok looking up at him at mention of his name. "Uhh. . . Can I have another meats. . . please?" Wollo asked politely. "I dunno Wollo, I'll ask. Sandwich delivery man, the piece of meat you gave Wollo was filthy, may he have another?" Rika somewhat mockingly asked, pausing for a moment before adding, "Oh, he said please, I've been teaching him that." Rika continued walking as he spoke, and presumably the rest of them followed despite his harsh comments.

. . . . . .

The small group continued on for a couple hours or so, until eventually the Eastern Caves came into view. Set up a small distance from the fortress was a guard perimeter. "Guess they're extending their range cause of the monsters. . . " Rika muttered aloud to Dante and Bepu, approaching a nearby guard who readied his spear and tensed up at their arrival, shouting, "Halt!" Rika casually dismissed his attitude with a handwave, saying, "Relax, we're here to help." The guard didn't seem to calm down, as he glared at the group. "Really? How do I know y'ain't monsters?" Rika glared back at the guard. Why did guards always have to give him such difficulty. "Tell me, mister. . . guardsman, do I look like a monster? No, because I'm not one, so don't waste my time and make me stand out in this heat longer than I need to, I'm here to help." The guard narrowed his eyes at Rika for a few moments at his attitude, as if assessing him. His eyes scanned the small group, before eventually they stopped on one individual and he pointed his finger at them accusingly. "You, I ain't never seen your kind before." He pointed at the Korok Bepu. Rika groaned slightly at this. Could they go find another, more intelligent guard? Although, based on Rika's experiences that didn't seem to exist.

"I take offense, sir!" Bepu said, rather loudly. He pointed at himself. "It is common knowledge illustrious fellows, such as I, are known as Koroks. Moreover, we are the emissaries of the Great Deku Tree himself! Besides, do I really look like a monster?" Bepu said exaggeratedly, waving around his stubby arms to make a point. "I think we need to have a word with your commanding officer! Especially since these two--" he motioned to Rika and Dante both, "have come to help with your portal situation, and I am here to deliver a sandwich. If that's not proof enough of our well meant intentions, well, I suppose you'll need to find other adventurers to deal with your problem!" Bepu waved a fist angrily. The entire situation, especially Bepu, was so ridiculous that Dante could barely stifle his snickering.

Rika couldn't help but audibly laugh at what had occured, the guard staring shocked and speechless at Bepu. "You know, I like you after all. You heard the man, guardsman. We're here to deliver sandwiches, so I suggest you let us through." Rika sarcastically called out as his laughing died down, to which the guard slowly regurgitated a slow, "Uh. . .Y-Yeah, g'head." The Kokiri energetically darted through the guard line, strolling past and further ahead to the Eastern Caves. Wollo cautiously darted past, eyeing the guard before muttering, "Uhh. . . Please." As they passed the guard and neared the caverns, Rika called out to Bepu. "That was great! That was the quickest I've ever gotten the guards off of my ass, they usually hassle me for at least five minutes longer than that! Maybe you're not so ridiculous after all." Rika grinned as he said, but the grin quickly faded away as they approached the massive cave entrances, where two soldiers were standing guard.

"Halt! What is your business?" They firmly called out, though unlike the other guards they did not hold their weapons provokingly, though that still did not make Rika stop, as he spoke as he approached. "Yes, we'd like to see whoever's in charge. We're here to assist with your portal situation." The two guards glanced at each other for a moment, then back at the group as if assessing them. One of the two then nodded and spoke. "I see. I shall take you to our leader, so follow me." The Kokiri had to contain himself to not scream for joy at those words. He was going to get through without any hassle? It was a miracle!

The soldier guided the group into the cave, passing by the occasional merchant store setup or civilian, but what primarily came into their attention were soldiers; the graceful, powerful Gerudo warriors, the mostly Hylian men and women who took shelter in the Eastern Caves and trained under their command, and outside soldiers from the North, all mixed and spread out through the caves. Some seemed to be resting, having just finished a long, tiring battle in the heat, while others began to gear up for combat, ready to face the same elements their peers were recovering from, and they seemed rather overpopulated as a whole. "I guess the monster infestation's even worse than it seemed if they have so many troops even from the North here. . . " Rika mused to himself as they walked.

Eventually, they were led to a small building, a small shack which likely held a single, small room at most. It looked somewhat old, its make of aging wood, but not as if it was due to collapse at any moment. "Our leader's in here. Wait here, I will let him know of your arrival." The guard spoke without waste, before knocking on the door and entering shortly after. They would just have to wait for the guard to return, but at least they were getting somewhere.

It was clear that something was wrong, though, if the shouting coming from that room was to be any indication of things. Dante's hearing wasn't quite that good, but he thought he was able to gather the gist of the conversation. Clearly, someone in the room was unhappy that the men they'd sent into the portal hadn't come back. The other, just as inflamed, was angry that they hadn't sent more in... Hopefully, Rika and Dante would be able to provide an easy solution. It wasn't that long before the men stopped their shouting: presumably when the guard who had escorted them interrupted the shouting contest. "Yes, let them in." Dante was able to pick out the weary voice, just as the door opened once more. The three were ushered into the room, to stand before several men huddled over the table. It was obvious who was in control in the room though: an older Hylian man, clearly well decorated, and what appeared to be a younger Gerudo male. Mahirid? That was the only possible answer. Dante was briefly hit with a compulsion to bow, but he quickly dismissed it as awe. He wasn't one for formalities.

"Sir!" A voice squeaked out from Dante---Bepu? The small Korok was standing at attention, saluting the older Hylian gentleman. But, what was a sandwich delivery man doing saluting? "I have your order, if you'll give me just a moment." Bepu unslung his back, setting it to the ground. From the first compartment, he removed a long sandwich, which had somehow managed to stay completely pristine. Dante groaned in sheer disbelief, but he briefly choked as Bepu brought out a second item from another compartment: a heavy sheaf of papers. This... this made a lot more sense. Now, it was clear that Bepu was not only just a sandwich delivery man, but some manner of messenger or informant. Bepu waddled over to the table, standing on his tippy toes to place the sandwich, and papers, atop its surface. He saluted one more time, before walking back to fall in line with Rika, Dante and Wollo. Dante shook his head. Had him completely fooled.

The Hylian coughed once. He picked up the sandwich, raising it up to inspect it. "And this, Warrant Officer Bepu, is why you are my favorite intelligence officer. Makes these," he motioned to the papers, "much more tolerable. Smoked ham. You never disappoint." He began to noisily eat the sandwich. Dante rolled his eyes; the man was clearly being disrespectful to Mahirid, something which the Gerudo certainly picked up on. Clearly agitated, he began to resume their previous conversation.

"As I was saying before, we need to send more men into the portal. Unless it's dealt with, there's no telling what could happen. Not just that, but the attacks are getting worse by the day! How long until my people start to suffer!" Mahirid pounded on the desk angrily.

"And like I said before, we've already sent men into the portal, and to no avail. But it's out of my hands already," the Hylian distractedly waved the sandwich about, reading the first page that Bepu had brought him, "as these orders clearly state that we are to secure the location, and provide assistance to any volunteers who wish to go in. The Princess feels that it has clearly been proven to be an effective strategy. Which brings us to you two." He looked up at Rika and Dante, crumbs dusting his mustache. Dante didn't miss Mahirid's fist clenching powerfully, his knuckled going white despite his burnished skin, before releasing. Seems we came at the right time. No telling what might have happened...

Rika raised an eyebrow curiously at the events that were happening in front of him. This man, Mahirid, Rika had heard of him, though this was the first time meeting him. He was supposedly the legendary male Gerudo helping to lead his people, and was the person heading the operations in the Eastern Caves. His mere presence seemed to let off a daunting, commanding aura, even an outsider like a Kokiri could feel it, but perhaps that was a tad misleading. To Rika, it appeared as though he did not garner the complete respect of the men under his command, as evident by the casual demeanor of the man in the room and his snacking despite the intense situation. The man was a rather wealthy Hylian, so it was possible he was from the North, and therefore not under Mahirid's command. Regardless, a true leader would command that kind of respect from anyone, not just those who swore fealty to him. Rika did not particularly care, but he found the chewing rather obnoxious.

His eyes narrowing at the sandwiched man, Rika spoke up. "Can you shut your mouth? Your chewing is distracting and disrespectful, and this will only be a few short moments; surely you can wait that long." The Kokiri spit out curtly, much to the surprise of the guard, who didn't seem to know what to say, his jaw slightly agape. Without waiting or caring for a reaction, Rika turned to Mahirid, who, regardless of how the Kokiri felt about his leadership, certainly seemed to be the most passionate. "Now then," He spoke, his tone less curt than before though still serious, "yes, we are here to enter the portal. We are the very volunteers that have been requested." One of the men around the table responded, quickly spitting out, "Though, you seem like just a child, how can we provide you with men and resources?" Rika's eyes glared at the man who spoke, before slowly responding. ". . . That won't be necessary. We will not need any men accompanying us, and though any resources provided would be nice, they are not necessary. What we primarily want is information. . . Oh, and I am not just a child. In fact," Rika continued, his voice falling into a somewhat smug tone, "I was the one to save the Kokiri Village from the disaster that had befallen it, and I am more than capable, so," Rika leaned closer and his voiced turned serious as he finished, "my name is Rika, so do not call me a child again." The man seemed taken aback by Rika's response, and a couple of the other men murmured among themselves, such as if he really did save Kokiri Forest.

A thick cloud of tension filled the air for a few brief moments, before it was cleared by Mahirid, the Gerudo man clearing his throat. Rika, along with the rest of the men, looked up at him. He was clearly agitated by the situation, and contributing factors throughout the day simply escalated the situation beyond what it was. Having drawn everyone's attention, he spoke firmly and confidently. "I understand, Rika. I can tell from your presence you are no mere child, and though we have no evidence to support your claims, I will choose to believe you and support you if you are willing to help my people." The room sat silently as no one had a cause or reason to speak- though they seemed uncomfortable with Mahirid's words, no one seemed willing to disagree. "Thank you." Rika smiled cheerily, satisfied that he got the response he wanted. "Then, onto business. What is the situation like in the portal?" Perhaps Mahirid was a more competent leader than Rika's first impressions had led him to believe.

Speaking of, what was up with Bepu? A sandwich delivery man who had a night job as an intelligence officer? I mean, Warrant Officer Bepu? Who would have seen that coming? If the situation wasn't so tense, Rika probably would have died laughing just hearing it. The Korok was actually turning out to be quite the intriguing fellow, Rika would have to drag him along.

"I'll be honest with you, things are grim. We've sent in five full squadrons of men, most of which have not returned. The men that did were badly burned, and most had internal bleeding. We've only just discovered why: it seems that light and gravity seem to be far, far greater on the other side of that portal, enough to cause significant burns with repeated exposure. And, strangely enough, it seemed that the two might be interconnected, if the analysis of one of the surviving mages is correct. As for the situation here," Mahirid gestured around them, "our soldiers are doing their best to fend off outside attackers, but our enemies are growing in number by the day. Moreover, our civilian have largely been evacuated from the caves due to the portal, so what might have originally been an easily defended stronghold, has instead become a liability." the Gerudo shook his head unhappily. No wonder he was on edge: the livelihood of his very people was at stake.

Dante pondered this for a moment. "Rika and I should be able to deal with this portal. We may not have formal military training, but we've handled similar situations before." Though, Dante was a bit surprised to hear that Rika had been the one to topple that unholy tower in the Kokiri Forest. He'd suspected, given the rumors of a Kokiri mage, but still. His thoughts were rudely interrupted by that rude, fat Hylian.

"And who are you, then?" He pointed at Dante. "Rika, at least, could very well be the hero of the Kokiri Forest incident, but if I recall, he was accompanied by a Hylian sellsword. Which you, clearly, are not." He finished. Dante looked at the Hylian commander blandly. That didn't even deserve a response. Luckily, Bepu was more than happy to speak up for his companion.

"Sir, if I may interject, I hired this man to escort me to these caves. His name is Dante, and I am more than happy to vouch for his capabilities. We were absconded by brigands and monsters alike, and in all situations we were the only two left standing. He is one of the most skilled warriors I have encountered, perhaps more so than a great majority of the Royal Army. In fact, he could easily be a commanding officer, on merit of his combat skill alone. You would be hard pressed to find better." Dante hadn't realized that Bepu had been paying such close attention, but he was glad to hear the praise from the Korok. It certainly seemed to allay the Hylian's fears, though Mahirid remained understandably dubious, since he was not intimately acquainted with Royal Army's strongest himself. Still, he nodded.

"You would be doing us a great favor if you could resolve the matter of the portal, then. Our mages here have been developing new magics to try and cope with the inhospitable environment within, and though its still in the prototype phase, we should be able to provide the two of you with some measure of protection." Mahirid nodded, rubbing his chin.

"Again, if I may interrupt. I know this is uncharacteristic of me, and my place may not necessarily be on the forefront of the battlefield, but I wish to accompany these two into the portal. I believe that whatever is in must be important, if these external attacks are any indication of anything. I would like to find out what's in there, and why they want it so badly." Bepu was standing smartly. He would much prefer to be delivering, of course, but unfortunately duty came first. He had, after all, agreed to do a job, and what was the point of doing it if he didn't do it well? Mahirid nodded his ascent, as did the Hylian, and Bepu let out a quiet sigh of relief.

As Mahirid explained the situation beyond the portal, a small grin appeared on Rika's face. The light and gravity within the portal seemed to differ, he said? Just what sort of area were they about to go to, anyway? The thought of the excitement and surprise he would discover with such a new discovery was fascinating. He could find something truly interesting in there, the thought alone was tantalizing. As the rude Hylian spoke of Rika's conquest, the Kokiri could not help but notice the inaccuracies in his words. Nicholas, a sellsword? That hopeless romantic was a member of the guard, a hotheaded soldier who didn't know how to look before he leaped, far from a sellsword. Though, despite his lack of intelligence or forethought, he was more respectful than a majority of the other soldiers Rika had met. Before Rika could speak up to correct him, however, Bepu the Korok spoke.

Rika nodded agreeably at Bepu's words as he told his story of their journey here. Dante was certainly capable, and Bepu's words likely rang true. As Mahirid spoke of the protective magics their mages were working on, Rika was about to interject, but Bepu did first, pledging to accompany them into the portal. Rika couldn't help but get excited. "Yes, he's coming along! I didn't even have to force him to!" The Kokiri shouted, energetically throwing his hands up in the air as a sign of victory. As he finished his short display, Rika remembered they were still talking. As if he had done nothing, the Kokiri continued the conversation. "That is a good point, just what do they want in there? I'd like to find out myself." Rika agreed with Bepu, before turning back to Mahirid.

"You mentioned your mages were developing some form of magic. What exactly did they create?" The Kokiri inquired. Mahirid nodded affirmatively, saying, "If you would like to know the details, I recommend visiting them yourselves. Besides," his glance moved over the others then back to Rika, "you will have to see them to receive the magic anyway." Rika seemed to think for a moment, before nodding, calling out, "I think that's everything then. We'll make our way over towards them and head out!" At least, that was all Rika had in mind when he said it, but then he paused, adding, "Actually, I do have one small favor to ask."

Mahirid nodded his head, calmly saying, "If we can assist you with something, please ask." Rika took a step to the side, and glanced to the Octorok behind him. "This is Wollo. It's too dangerous inside of the portal, could you keep an eye on him while we're in there?" The Hylian men seemed to react shockingly to the presence of an Octorok, to which Wollo cowered slightly and Rika waved his hand casually and dismissively. "Oh calm down, he's harmless." The Kokiri said in a relaxed tone. "These guys are a bunch of babies. . ." Was all Rika could think to himself as he continued. "He's easy to take care of and he's very nice. I've been teaching him manners and everything, so he's very polite." The irony that Rika was teaching someone how to be polite was hopefully not lost on anyone in the room.

Seemingly considering it for a moment, Mahirid slowly spoke, saying, ". . . Very well. So long as he does not harm anyone, we shall watch over him until you return. However, what if you are not to return?" Mahirid asked, his jaded eyes staring at Rika like he had at the many soldiers that had been lost previously to the portal. Rika couldn't help but laugh, his small grin stretching into a wide smile from ear to ear. "Well, first, that won't happen." Rika confidently proclaimed, before continuing, "Plus, if that were to somehow happen, Wollo would be your last concern. If we were to lose, this portal would definitely be impossible for anyone else to explore, and you would eventually be completely overrun. So with that said, he just needs to be watched until I return." The Kokiri's confidence was bordering on pure arrogance at this point, not just towards himself but also towards Dante. Though, there was some truth to his statement; if even they couldn't succeed, it was certainly a perilous place to enter.

Mahirid was silent for a few moments, as if choosing his words carefully; what to respond to and what not to. Only a few words actually escaped his mouth, however, saying, ". . . Then, he shall be watched until you return." Rika nodded happily, glancing back at the still frightened Wollo. Mahirid wasn't done speaking, as he continued, saying, "Is there anything else you need or any other questions you have? If not, you may speak to the guard outside and he shall direct you to where our mages are." Rika shook his head dismissively. At this point, he was ready to leap into the portal and find out what would lie inside.

(OOC: Buying some stuff with Bepu in this post. Will be spending his Roop as follows: 30 for Level 3 Botany, 15 for level 3 Profession. The leftover 5, and 4 roop of his own, will be used to purchase three Bomb Seeds. He will then convert the 6 roop from level 3 Botanist into 3 seeds, for 3 Magic Beans. With 3 Magic Beans and 3 Bomb Seeds, he will craft a Thrice Bomb Seed Supply. Meanwhile, he will spend 6 more of his roop to purchase two more Chill Seeds for a Chill Seed Supply with the two he already has. His total Rewards will be: Botanist 3rd, Profession 3rd, Thrice Bomb Seed Supply, Chill Seed Supply, and his Profession Roops of 15 total. )

Bepu took a few steps back at Rika's unexpected, and strange, outburst. What did he mean force him to come along? How odd. He tried not to think about it too hard. With their meeting adjourned, Bepu turned to Dante and Rika as they began to move towards the exit and began to speak. "I'll meet up with the two of you at the mages. I need to go see one of the suppliers here: they've gotta have a better solution to keeping my things cold!" He grunted out, before running off. Dante was surprised that the Korok was still so spritely, considering how long they'd been walking for. Wonders upon wonders. Dante shook his head, before asking the guard posted outside the structure for directions to their destination.

----

"Huh. Well, this seems useful." Dante looked down at the crystalline orb, light glittering off the amethyst strangely. It was emanating an aura of darkness, and even in the bright sunlight outdoors, it seemed to be reducing the light, at least within a certain area, by a significant amount. "Seems like they were right: this should help us move around more easily.

"Huh, this is interesting, isn't it?" Rika inquisitively spoke, holding the small Shadow Orb up to his eye to examine it. It appeared to be a swirling orb of pure darkness, yet it was a solid crystal despite that. By itself, it felt surprisingly cool to the touch, but when activated, it felt dimly warm along with sucking out all of the light in the area. It was as if the Shadow Orb was actually absorbing the light, but since it could not exert that same light at a later date, it was not storing it. Instead, it was more like it was consuming the light. With what he had been told of the area within the portal, this was something that would surely come in handy, assuming it worked properly.

----

With their protective magical items in hand, the trio regrouped and was led to the site of a portal; A rusted, old shack which seemed to have been damaged fairly heavily and quite recently. Most likely the structure had once been someone's home, completely demolished by the sudden appearance of the portal. They were likely forcefully evicted out of their home due to its presence, if they were still even alive and didn't curiously investigate the portal upon it appearing out of thin air. Entering the building, a swirling, black vortex rest in the middle of the room, like a constant vacuum that seemed like it should be eternally sucking in everything around it.

Bending down, Rika set face to face with the Octorok next to him. "I'll be gone for a little bit Wollo, so be good while I'm gone. Make sure to mind your manners, even if the soldiers don't." Rika instructed the Octorok, who seemed somewhat frightened but nodded as much as an Octorok could. The soldiers standing guard outside didn't say anything at Rika's comment, but were probably a little upset over it. With that said, the Kokiri stood back up and faced the portal. "Well, no reason to wait any longer." He called out to the others before running headfirst into the portal.

As the trio left, Wollo glanced at the guards standing watch awkwardly. "Uhh. . . please. . ." He muttered as he slowly walked out of the building. One of the guards placed a hand on the Octorok's back, who instantly froze up in fear as a result of this. "Whoa there, we have to watch you but you can't just wander around on your own, that's too dangerous." Sweat dripped from Wollo's sides nervously as he slowly turned around to face the guard. "Uhh. . . please. . . " He whispered as he was lead off by one of the soldiers to somewhere else. Hopefully he wouldn't become their afternoon snack, Hylians didn't eat Octorok right? . . . Right?

Meanwhile, Bepu was munching on some dried fruit. In fact, were there any water in this place, he would be reminded of the time he spent on the coast of the Eastern Sea. The sun glinted off of his goggles, which were placed over his eyes. Despite being in the cool shade, the sun still shone powerfully in the sky. But temperatures were moderate, and life was good. Which, of course, was a far cry to their situation just moments earlier.

----

Both Bepu and Dante were screaming out in pain, as the sun seared their wooden flesh. Both could barely move, forced into the hard sand beneath them, which burned even more than the light beating down upon them angrily. "Din, why! Help meeeeeeee....." Dante croaked out. This was awful, why hadn't they been using the Shadow Orbs when entering the portal. Both were desperately reaching for the orbs, and after several more moments of pain, they were surrounded by the protective bubble of shadow.

----

Just another day in paradise, Bepu thought to himself, as he drank some juice from a small container. Cool and refreshing, all of his produce was now being kept cold by a large number of Chill Seeds jangling about in his pack. He patted the supply pouch at his waist, glad he thought of the idea, just one of the few great ideas he'd had. "Want some?" He held out the tiny box towards Rika. Truth was, he'd brought plenty of food for the three of them, since there was no telling how long they'd be here. If worst came to worst, most of the food would be for Rika anyways, since he and Dante could just photosynthesize. Hopefully they wouldn't be in here for that long, though.

Dante gave Bepu a queer look, though the Korok didn't even notice. What, does he think we're on a vacation on Koholint? Dante shook his head. Well, at least Bepu seemed well-prepared. He'd already seen some of his skill with Botany, so at least he didn't really have to worry about his companion's well-being. That said, he couldn't help but wonder if that bit of excruciating pain hadn't broken Bepu just a little bit.

As Rika entered the portal, he immediately found himself thrust to the ground. The sun aggressively beat on his skin, he could feel it singing already. Perhaps that was just his hands from the scorching hot sand below him, as he struggled to hold himself up and stop his face from being run into the ground. His breathing was heavy, his chest felt tight, like his lungs had an insurmountable amount of pressure on them. Slowly lifting his head up, he could see a bright sun roasting everything below it, with a massive ocean of sand in front of him. He had to use the Shadow Orb, he had it in his ha- where did it go? Looking down, mostly because he couldn't hold his head completely up, he saw the Shadow Orb a couple feet from his hands; it seemed as though he had dropped it. He just had to move his hands and grab it. . . Just grab it! His hand slowly skid across the sand, and it slid next to the Shadow Orb. Slowly lifting his hand into the air and moving it slightly, it collapsed on top of the Shadow Orb, and immediately his suffering ended.

His body felt like a feather, like a massive anchor was on his shoulders and the chain connecting them had been cut. The Kokiri let out deep gasps of air as he slowly brought himself to his feet, gasping for air. "How. . . did the previous expeditions even survive. . . without this. . . ?" Rika slowly let out as his breathing slowly returned to normal. Bepu seemed to have adjusted fairly quickly to his surroundings, sipping on juice and relaxing. "Uh. . . No thanks, maybe later." Rika looked at Bepu's chilled demeanor. He was going to have the Korok come along anyway, but was he prepared for these situations? I mean, he had Dante travel with him for protection, so was he even capable of fighting at all? As he examined the Korok, Rika decided to ask. "So, can you actually do anything?" Rika bluntly quizzed, probably sounding far harsher than intended. "In like, a fight I mean. I've seen your sandwiches, unless that is your fighting ability." Rika clarified somewhat sarcastically as he took his hat off, wiping the sweat he had accrued off of his face. He began straightening the feathers on the hat that had become slightly ajar due to the gravity, along with straightening the fur out of the two yellow bunny ears sticking out of each side of the hat. The ears were not simply cloth, so they naturally readjusted themselves and moved on their own, but the fur could still be pulled and ruffled.

"In fact, I'm glad you asked. While it's true, I would much prefer it if I could bludgeon something with a baguette, that simply is not practical. I am also quite the horticulturist, if I say so myself, and it's partially why I pride myself on being an amazing delivery man. Allow me to demonstrate." Bepu's hand shot into one of the several pouches at his side, pulling out what appeared to be a red Pegasus Seed, as opposed to its normal green. Slamming it against the ground, he took off at a dead sprint, at a pace that would impress even a Lynel. However, that was not what attracted Dante's attention: no, that was the trail of fire he left in his wake, that was burning quite well in the sand. It took a moment for the flames to die down, the time during which Bepu made his way back to the group.

"I have other seeds, too. Ember Seeds, Chill Seeds, and regular Pegasus Seeds. And, I've been working on a formula for a bit now, and finally assembled all the pieces back at camp today. Behold, my latest work, and one that should prove most useful in battle." He pulled out what appeared to be a Bomb Seed. With his other hand, he placed the Shadow Orb into an empty pouch at his side: as long as he made sure to keep thinking about it, it seemed that it would continue protecting him. Then, hand now empty, he pulled at a pipe-like object that hung at his belt: a Seed Shooter. He aimed it away from the three of them, pointing it upwards, to try and compensate for the increased gravity. Shoving the Bomb Seed through his end, it was immediately shot into the air, though it noticeably began to fall once it was within normal light. But, rather than a single seed, it seemed three were now in the air, veering off at different angles. Soon, three explosions rang out. Though not quite as powerful as a regular bomb, with three explosions from a single seed, their total power likely exceeded that of a single bomb.

Dante clapped. That was, actually, fairly impressive. He'd always known that seeds were powerful, being a large fan of the Gale variety himself, but this took it to another level. Perhaps he'd have to have the Korok craft him something useful...

"Ahh," Rika clapped alongside Dante, his tone not sarcastic in the slightest as he spoke, "that's impressive. Hmm, I don't suppose you could make a sandwich out of the seeds, could you?" Rika inquired somewhat jokingly, though he was genuinely curious how edible the seeds actually were. He imagined they would probably heavily damage the eater were they to be consumed, but if there was a way to neutralize that effect, perhaps they would be a good snack. Regardless, he had gotten his answer on Bepu's combat capabilities. "Primarily ranged, then." He thought to himself. That makes sense, as a Korok he wouldn't exactly be durable in a close-range fight.

"Anyway," Rika interjected, turning to examine their surroundings. Sand. Sand. More sand. An extremely large amount of sand. Rika couldn't spot anything past the heat waves except sand. "well that's unfortunate." He muttered, frowning. Suddenly, his eyes caught something. In the distance- was it a mirage?- he could see the very faint, blurred figures of something. He wasn't sure what it was, but it definitely wasn't sand. "There!" The Kokiri suddenly exclaimed, letting out a burst of energy as he frantically pointed in the direction. "There, there! I have no idea what it is, but it's something except all of this damn sand! Let's check it out!" Rika commanded, before he began moving in the direction of the thing.

. . .
. . .
. . .

It felt like they had been walking for hours. In reality, it had not even been an hour, but it certainly wore on him like several. Even with the Shadow Orbs absorbing light and cooling them off, it was still uncomfortably hot, and Rika was not fond of the desert heat at all. He preferred climates akin to a forest, or in Northern Hyrule, where the heat was not due to the beating sun above and the scorching sand below. Nonetheless, they were closing in on their destination. There were numerous structures spread about, and it appeared to be some sort of town or ruins. "Is that a civilization? Do people. . . live here?" Rika questioned aloud curious and confused. This place was so strange, he would most certainly have to investigate.

As the trio neared the town, it was clear however that it was likely uninhabited. Some of the buildings were partially destroyed, some missing walls and others doors. However, others appeared to be in fairly decent condition, comparatively. The ruins themselves were not especially big, with about twenty structures total between them. Could there be anything living in the ruins? Could there even be anything living in this place at all?

"Hey, look." Dante was pointing at an outcropping of buildings: or, more precisely at their collective shadows. There, a strange phenomenon was occurring. In the darkest regions of that shadow, it seemed that the sand was floating within the air, like some mini-sand storm brewing. He approached it cautiously. It seemed that normal shadows also effected the gravity on this plane, just as their orbs did. That gave him an idea. "Hey, Bepu, come here for a second." The Korok approached quickly, not stopping at the edge of Dante's shadow bubble, intuitively understanding where he was going with this. Thus far, they hadn't had any reason to, so the three had been walking apart, where the shadows of their orbs overlapped. Presumably, if they did overlap, the area might become difficult to see it. Dante's eyes had not developed Nightvision, and as far as he could tell, neither Rika nor Bepu could see in the dark either.

As he'd thought, the shadows of their orbs were overlapping, creating an impenetrable darkness once their areas overlapped. Thankfully, they had their other senses to rely on. "On the count of three, let's jump." Dante said to Bepu, who merely grunted in ascent. "One. Two," Dante bent at his knees, "three!" And pushed off of the sandy ground, which had gotten quite soft, now that very little gravity was affecting it. Both Dante and Bepu sailed high into the air, first twice, three times, perhaps even ten times what their original jump height might be. In fact, their descent was even greatly slowed, as they fell back to the ground. Both on their ascent, and their descent, they left a trail of sand that promptly fell back to the ground.

With that mystery solved, the two parted ways. "Well, that's certainly interesting. If we use the shadows of our orbs like that, we might be able to excavate some of the sand surrounding these buildings pretty easily. Should we give it a try?" Dante asked, looking directly at Rika.