Forbidden Woods (Tsu, Raz and Panther)

Forbidden Woods
- Autumn, Guardian of the Lost Woods (2/2/5, Hylian) [Blonde Panther] Reward: +40 Rupees.
- Stjarnstill, Lost Redeemer (1/5/3, Hylian) [Tsubori] Reward: +40 Rupees.
- Tanic Fallius, Goron Banker (3/3/1, Goron) [Razgriz] Reward: +40 Rupees.

Autumn panted as she rushed past the trees and the bushes, not even heeding where she went. She went solely on the scent of fire, on the cries of the woodland creatures, and on her instinct as Guardian of the Woods. That filthy little...

She hit the emergency brakes when she caught sight of the Deku family lagging behind. One of them had been caught in a wire trap, no doubt set by that monster. They didn't seem afraid when Autumn approached them and unsheathed her sword, cutting through the wire effortlessly. "Get to safety," she said, "Try to get out of the Woods if you can. I'll handle this."

She then pressed on, until she found the silver-haired, masked kid. His clothing would normally camouflage him, but before the fire that raged behind him, he was clearly visible. "Stjarnstill, Warlock of the Lost Woods... what have you done this time?!"

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

Stjarnstill knew she’d come running. She always did. Such an efficient chess piece… like the piece on your enemy’s side that you know from the start will play right into your hands, exactly as you want it to. In this case though, this piece is easily as important as the queen. The boy chuckled to himself as Autumn approached. A few charred corpses could be seen around the area, with the most obvious being a dead wolfos that Stjarnstill was currently sitting on very casually. “Oh, Autumn, what have I done? We’ve been at this for years, silly… Isn’t it obvious? He turned towards the flames behind him. “Ah… the beauty in fire… Calming, isn’t it. The child stood up, casting Din’s burst beneath him, causing the dead wolfos to explode violently from the chest.

“I’ll tell ya, I’m bored out of my skull, so let’s play another game… I’ll go around the woods, and you keep it from the flame.” He had his hand ready if he saw any sign of an attack for him to cast Nayru’s affection. “How about it? Sound fun?”

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

"I am not here to play games with you, Stjarnstill, as I have told you many times before!" Wolfos barked, but stepped back when Stjarnstill blew up its kin's corpse. It whined at Autumn, who ignored it for now. She could comfort it later, when she wasn't bracing herself for impact from a fire spell.

"Put out this fire immediately. You've made a horrible mistake- how could you not notice?!" The accursed kid had cast his spell right on top of one of the few spots in the Lost Woods where raw magic swirled unstably. If left unattended, his magic could interfere with that of the Forest. Autumn had seen the Forest Spirits gain strength when complementary magic was cast, but fire spells were completely opposite of the power of the Spirits, and...

She screamed when an explosion of power occurred behind Stjarnstill. Immediately the fire was put out, the area that had been aflame reduced to charred trees and ashes, but more importantly...

Wolfos whined behind her. Autumn caught a whiff of an unfamiliar scent.

When she got up, she realized that the entire forest was darker now, and it was more obviously alive. Everywhere, vines were twitching, and she had the constant nagging feeling that the woods wanted to kill her- THAT PUNK!

She reached out for Stjarnstill, who was still right in front of her, and grabbed his collar. "DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!"

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

Tanic walked calmly through the woods, wearing clothes plainer but still far more comfortable and stylish than that of a common villager or adventurer. Peasants. Leaning on his cane slightly as the inferno raged in front him, he only continued to walk forward; batting an eye to make sure no trees would fall on him and tipping his hat to the fleeing creatures of the woods.

Ahhh the noble life of a Goron, no need to breath and almost immune to fire and ice. If the trees didn't get him than only a massive firestorm would, and he would be smart enough to get out of there before it could finish starting. The life of the adventurer wasn't as glamorous as he was used to, but far more entertaining, which was almost as good.

When his lovely stroll, became too hot for his tastes, he began to turn back when suddenly the fire stopped, the crackle and snapping quickly became a distant memory as his mind turned to his new reality. Night had descended just as quickly, at least it looked like night. Even the plants acted to avenge what just happened, and suddenly the trees became more frightful than even those of hellfire.

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

Stjarnstill was startled by the explosion, but he didn't really show it. When Autumn picked him up by the collar, his eyes underneath the mask lit up in joy. Even though his mouth was covered, he just radiated the vibe that he was grinning devilishly. "I don't know! That's the best part!" The boy laughed to himself. "A new area! New rules! Double point round, right Autumn?" He swatted Autumn's hands away, and upon reaching the ground, shuffled back. 

With a hand reaching up to ensure his mask was entirely secure, Stjarnstill tapped on his mask as if deep in thought. "That explosion though. It wasn't normal, right? Too much magic output, not enough actual magic source. The spirits certainly lashed out there. If I had to guess... We're in an inverse reality, so the usually peaceful woods are now dark and evil. Sounds fun, eh?" Stjarnstill said, wonder and intrigue in his voice.

He then caught sight of a fazed Goron stumbling from behind a tree. Due to Autumn and Stjarnstill's almost constant exposure to the forest spirits, they'd made the jump like nothing. For anyone else, it was likely much tougher on their mind and body. With a chuckle, Stjarnstill breathed fire a little bit into the air, with no real purpose other than ensuring everything still worked. "Not everyday we see a Goron, I wonder what he's doing here?" He said to Autumn deviously, his mischievous mind already churning up ideas.

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

What Stjarnstill said was exactly true. Somehow his magic had provoked a reaction from that of the Forest Spirits, and it had thrown them into the darkest lairs the Lost Woods knew. That meant they were about to face fiercer monsters and a forest whose Spirits would be hostile. A single shiver crossed Autumn's back as she considered the possibility of the Inverse Forest Spirits being hostile to her but friendly to Stjarnstill.

If that were true, she would be done for. But then again, he had -some- protection from the Spirits in the real Lost Woods, so maybe... it was best not to worry about it. She would have to heed it when it was time for it. When Stjarnstill breathed fire, she shot him a death glare, unsure why she didn't shoot an arrow instead. If these were the Forbidden Woods, then she would need him and his magic. But was that really a reason to let him live, now that he was wide open?

A Goron showed up, somewhat shaken from the transition from the Lost Woods to the Forbidden Woods. Autumn shot another glare at Stjarnstill. "Don't you dare," she snarled through grit teeth, and she hurried over to the Goron in hopes of supporting him. He didn't look like the youngest in the pack. "Be careful, sir. Stay close to me." Even here, it was her responsibility to see innocents to safety. "I am the Guardian of these Woods when they are normal. I'll watch over you. Wolfos! Bring me a... Wol..fos?"

Wolfos shrieked loudly, even though its body muffled its sound. It had curled up into a ball, and when it got up, Autumn immediately noticed three things. One, its normally golden eyes had turned red. Two, its limp was completely gone. Three, Wolfos had doubled in size.

The beast was nothing more than an aspect of the forest. Unlike Autumn, it was not protected by the Spirits. It had been corrupted when it had entered the Forbidden Woods. Her companion had turned against her, and as long as she had to help the Goron, Autumn couldn't protect herself from it.

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

Dazed, Tanic found himself in a small clearing in the dark forest, humming an old adventurer's tune. There was a adult woman supporting him and a child further back. Even a massive Wolfos a little ways over, but it didn't frighten him in the slightest, odd, as he had no recollection of exactly how he got there. Every time he tried to remember, the only images he could bring up were those of fire, and somehow the trees seemed to scream.

Shaking his head and pulling away from the girl, he suddenly remembered the Wolfos. Pulling himself into a fighting stance, the dizziness made him almost impossible remain in the stance, much less put up a decent fight. Still, he was a hero, and would fight to protect this family from the monster before them.

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

When Stjarnstill heard Wolfos shift and change, the boy became giddy, rubbing his hands together excitedly. “Ohhhhhh! Ohohohohoh! This is going to be so crazy to watch! Goron!” He said, pointing to Tanic. “Stand down and let her fight the beast on her own! Her reation will be worth it, I promise you.”

The Hylian sat down with a very fidgety look on his face on a stump. He then decided to simply watch the scene unfold in front of him, hoping that Goron would do the same.

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

The Goron took his distance from Autumn and she unsheathed her sword, taking her stance somewhat shakily. Wolfos lowered its body to the ground, growling at her, and started coming closer. Suddenly, it picked up speed, rushing towards her and lifting itself onto its hind legs, lunging at her with a front leg. Autumn dove out of the way, taking her Deku Leaf to hand and waving it overhead and down in front of herself.

The resulting gust of wind threw the monster back, although it seemed to backflip and regain its balance, unharmed. "What's this, Autumn?" The Guardian's eyes flashed towards Stjarnstill for a second. "It's just a Wolfos! Just about the easiest monster to kill in the entire Lost Woods!" For a second, intense hatred flared up inside her. "Are you telling me you can't handle it?"

"Filthy little-" Autumn took her sword again, now running for the mage. Before she could reach him though, Wolfos attacked her in the flank, pushing her to the ground. Autumn knew it was going for her neck next, so as soon as she hit the ground, she rolled onto her back, instinctively pushing her sword through the beast's palate and brain when it opened its maw to bite her.

She needed a few seconds for the realization to kick in. But when it did, she scrambled to her knees, and refused to get up after that.

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

Tanic stumbled around for a moment after taking the stance, apparently the dizziness hadn't subsided. In a moment the fight has over anyway, the Hylian on her knees and the wolfos dead in front of her. No matter. Now there was no need to fight, although the girl's reaction had only confused him further and the child's had been more, offsetting.

Still, there was adventuring to be had! And a quick look around seemed to reveal a large door with a... thing growing on it. Even as he approached the thing moved a shell-like cover over itself, blocking the wild and random punches Tanic threw at it. Ripping at the vines secure the door didn't work either, in truth Tanic himself didn't know why he was so hell-bent on opening it; It was just as likely that he just walk around or perhaps even climb over if he had a good spot.

Finally, the frustration reached a breaking point and he flew into a rage, ripping up grass, throwing small logs into the forest and other acts of mayhem. Then a splat could be heard and the others saw a nut fly into the door-locker and suddenly fall life-less to the ground.

"You two, let's go."

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

Stjarnstill let out a dark chuckle when Autumn struck her old friend down. "Attagirl, Autumn! The puppy turned bad, and had to be struck down... Right? There wasn't any other way? Knock out? Stun? Or maybe he didn't turn bad at all and was just lunging for belly rubs?" he mocked Autumn gleefully, getting off the stump and walking towards the Goron. 

He sized him up, still giggling. "A gentlemanly Goron. Say it ain't so, huh?" He then turned sharply, casting Din's burst near autumn just to try to get her up. "Now that you killed your best friend, non friends should be easy, right hon?"

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

Autumn's hand stretched out to Wolfos' head almost on its own, just as a Din's Burst exploded right next to her. Stjarnstill's taunting, along with her mental state from having had to kill her only friend, made her lose her trademark, inhuman calm.

Leaping up and forward, she grabbed Stjarnstill's collar with a swiftness and strength he had not anticipated her to possess (and in frankness, that Autumn herself had not realized she possessed, otherwise she would have won their 'game' long ago), and pushed him up against a huge tree, her sword at his throat.

"I tire of this 'game' of yours, punk! This is your fault- if you had just done your sensing of magic before tearing the fabric of reality, this wouldn't have happened! Why must you insist on opposing me in everything I do and stand for? Explain me why!" She removed her sword from his throat and threw him away from her. "I know this place better than either of you do. Get up!"

She lashed out with her foot, fully expecting the mage to roll out of her way instead of taking the brunt of the kick. "I have need of your magic if I am to return home. If you have the nerve to pull some sort of prank on me, Stjarnstill, I promise you a snip on your throat will be the least of your problems."

"Now follow me." With a tone of voice not accepting any witty back talking, she marched past the Goron and through the door he had just freed. Her rage stemmed partially from what had just happened, but also from her realizing something the other two clearly didn't. The Forbidden Woods were no place for pranks and jokes. Even less so than the Lost Woods were. They had been fortunate so far- From now on, they would pay a dear price for every second of unawareness.

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

Stjarnstill laughed loudly as Autumn gave him exactly what he wanted. A reaction. He rolled away from her kick, back onto his feet. "Oh, don't be bitter Autumn!"

He then ran ahead of the other two, seeing the strange plant on the ground in the next room. He tossed a rock onto it seeing if it was anything special, and when the rock was spit back out very high, he laughed hysterically. "Oh, this is gonna be FUN!!" 

He jumped into the plant, and when he was spewed back out, the warlock used feather fall and his cloak to guide himself to the next platform. He simply repeated this process until he was at the end of the room. Turning around, Stjarnstill took note of the area below them, though it didn't seem there was anything of interest in this grassy area under them. "Hoy! You two should hurry up!" He chuckled, turning around and seeing the flower on the door. As opposed to some silly thrown object or something, Stjarnstill just used Din's burst, taking down most of the door anyway.

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

Tanic rage cooled a little, but did not subside; he was in a near-inescapable place with a boy and an angry woman who was probably not the mother, at least he hoped not. On the other hand it would explain why the child was sadistic, angry, unwilling to bow to authority and had little fear for his life; so yes, yes she probably was.

Such thoughts only left Tanic distracted and left behind however, so he walked to catch up, using his cane for balance and pace. He took in the room before him, the boy almost across the canyon and the woman not having started. He could probably just jump down, but such an act was so uncouth that he could not consider it. Climbing with his weight could also be a problem, so that was out. That only left the odd flower that spit out the child. "Here goes I into this vile contraption" he said aloud, curling into a ball and rolling in.

The flower bulged at the intrusion, vibrating violently as it prepared to fire the Goron through the canyon. And that it did, right into another and that into another until he reached the other side. It didn't take long for the Goron to reach the other side and come to a standing pose. "What unprecedented good fortune!" muttered the banker in a strange voice, before simply moving through the open door.

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

So much for the two of them following her. "So it's everyone for themselves now? Very well." Autumn waited for the Goron to get up there, ensuring that every plant on the way up was, in fact, a Baka Bud rather than a Deku Baba. The latter sometimes liked to disguise itself as the former to attract prey.

Once she was certain, she removed her Deku Leaf from her belt and unrolled it. Using it in conjuncture with the Baka Buds, she quickly and elegantly landed next to the men. Stjarnstill had already burnt the door down, but that was largely irrelevant right now. Rolling up and storing her Deku Leaf, Autumn's sharp ears hearing picked up the distinct sound of Peahats behind them.

Using the hand she had just stored her Deku Leaf with, the Guardian of the Lost Woods instead pulled out a weapon that few would have expected her to use- a boomerang. She admittedly didn't use it very often in combat, preferring it for distant items that weren't directly on the path she was walking, but Peahats too quickly came too close for her bow and they were impervious to the sword with their wings intact.

Since directly beyond the door was a chasm that the Peahats would conveniently knock them into, taking care of them was immediate concern and the woman started tossing her weapon annex tool at them, knocking them out of the sky one by one. It was quite a big swarm though.

Tailored to the number and constitution of the intruders, she bet. She swore these parts of the woods were sentient.

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

Stjarnstill laughed as Autumn took down a few Peahats with her boomerang. He walked in front of her, raising a hand to her chest and pushing her towards Tanic. "Companions, this is how you kill the local wildlife. 3 years of practice does good, much to a third of the present company's chagrin." When he turned back towards the Peahats there were about seven or eight of them, more having come to join the party. 

The warlock breathed in heavily, his chest almost seeming to expand worh so much air. When he breathed out, the flames engulfed all the Peahats, screeching and screaming coming from the poor creatures. The boy then put a finger on his chin. "Wwwwwweird... There's something strange about the walls. They're probably made of a very flammable material themselves, but for some reason they aren't catching." He then turned around, looking into the next room. "Oh hey! A platform on a rope! How are we gonna get Rocky Balborron over there without the rope snapping and sending him into the abyss?"

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

"Hummmm! You little poor drudging urchin! Too lacking wealth to afford a street corner and intelligence to realize your folly!" The Goron bellowed at the child, "Now consider your own poverty when addressing your betters!" Tanic then stepped onto the wooden platform which creaked and groaned under the weight, but ultimately held under him.

"Now madam, you seem to be handling yourself rather well for has happened. I'd have thought that killing that thing you savages keep as pets would've been harder for someone of your nature." he directed toward Autumn. Then turning toward himself, "Maybe they are incapable of understanding such emotions. Hmmmm..."

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

"...sir." Autumn was not amused at the harsh words the Goron directed at her. And Stjarnstill, but he had it coming. "You are aware that you are stuck here in this cursed section of the woods, and I am your only hope of ever making it back out, are you not?" She crossed her arms and glared at him. "If you are not, then I kindly point it out to you now. If you are, I remind you that it is more efficient to stay on my good side."

She'd seen a small, wooden contraption to their left, and pulling out her Deku Leaf once more and putting her feet firmly on the ground, she lifted it above her head and waved it down with both hands, generating an impressive gust of wind with which she caused the contraption to turn. Immediately, the platform with the Goron on it started to slowly move along the rope towards the other end of the chasm.

"And you," she said to Stjarnstill. "That goes for you too. I don't give you much of a chance in negotiations with the Forest Spirits, even the Inverse ones."

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

Stjarnstill frowned, placing his hands on his sides. Insulting his -intellect-? Of all things? This Goron was standing over oblivion with a thin, VERY flammable rope as his only way across. "Autummmmnnnnn! Can I burn the rope? He's being mean." The warlock asked playfully. 

Once Tanic made it over, Stjarnstill stood next to Autumn, whispering on her ear. "Could it be? Someone who you hate more than me?"

Re: Forbidden Woods (Tsu and Panther)

(Wall o' text incoming! Evasive maneuvers!)


"Hmm..." mused the Goron, "Such strange savages, do they not realize the power a being such as I possess? I seems I must show them the source of their folly." He then merely took out his Ironwood (Yes, he enjoys such irony) pipe and lit his mixture of coal and oil; with a hint of Lapis Lazuli. Adds a little color to the gentlemen and besides it would be simply criminal to leave such a wonderful substance out of the luxury.

As the platform pulled close to the other side of the chasm, he calmly exited and stood, but as the platform began to return, he did something unexpected: He reached out and took hold of the platform.

"Now it seems that we have a misunderstanding, lady and lad, I am a gentlemen of the Fallius heritage, you two are mere peasants born in grass huts and stick villages. I am your social and, as it happens, intellectual superior. Even you low-borns have heard the legends of the "stone giants of the mountains" and I am amongst the highest born of us magnificent beings. And as you have also likely heard our blows ignite the very air around us, and this too, is true. Do not believe yourself the only ones who can harm another..." spoke the Goron, only loud enough so that the others may hear it; before loosing a Goron punch close enough to the rope to singe it.

"Now I know you are not among those ferals termed 'Rito', as even those birds have a brain large enough to understand 'hierarchy', and since you two seem to lack the mental capacity to understand such a word I will allow to take advantage of my benign nature and explain it to you. It means that you do what I say and we all get along. The only reason I haven't simply smashed through the trees to find an exit is a gentleman's one and only duty to protect his charges, or rather the obedient ones; and since clearly you two couldn't find a bull's horn if it been rammed up your arse, you need my help. As for you're threats, they are harmless at worst and likely merely benign, as a laugh for the old rocks here. Now, do we have an understanding? Good." Finished the Goron, unaware that his overlong speech likely buried the point well below six feet of insult and self-praise.

Then simply releasing the platform to return, he moved through the door on his side, casually smoking his pipe as he did. On the other side the room had more weeds so overgrown they became sentient and a few trees, with a gentle slope leading to the other side and a large number of Deku Babas. Without slowing or showing any sign of urgency or fear, he blasted the plants apart with his Goron punch; still puffing the last of the smoke in the bowl. After the last Baba though, there were no stairs or even a ladder; just a bulb ready to shoot him upward.

Looks like the Goron would have to curl up again, such an undignified action.