Forest Temple [OOT] [Quill, U5, BP]

Forest Temple
- Ni'Ran Amiron, Wandering Swordsman (4/2/3) [Blonde Panther] Reward: +40 Rupees
- Loft Kiratel, Childish Cuckoo-lander (2/2/5) [Quill] Reward: +5 Rupees.
- Marcus Heilari, Logical Healer (2/5/2) [Quill] Reward: 45 rupees, Alchemist lvl 3 (-30r), Deku Baba Potion (0r), 4 Razor Seeds (-10r, see lvl 1's seed-doubling power), 2 Pegasus Seeds (-5r), 1 Potion of Lynel (0r, consumes 2 Razor Seeds and 1 Pegasus Seed). 0 rupees lost, 0 rupees gained.
- Harry D. Massey, Rich, eccentric Hylian Spellcaster (2/5/1) [Ultra5] Reward: +40 Rupees. (Dropped out)
Backdrop Music

Well, Ni'Ran thought to himself, that certainly looks like the place. It looked similar to the old, grainy pictograph he was holding up for comparison purposes, except a lot older, a lot less maintained, and a lot less yellow. He lowered the pictograph, crossing his arms. He had the impression that getting there was going to be the easy part. He wouldn't have been paid such a hefty sum if his mission had been that simple. He'd been asked to retrieve something from the basement of the mansion at the top of the hill, from which one could probably overlook the entire village.

"Hey!" someone shouted from below, "Birdbrain! Get off my shed!" He looked down over the edge of the roof, shrugging and taking to the sky. His Kargorok took off from his shoulder when he spread his wings, flying by his side lazily.

"Well, I suppose we'll see how bad it is once we get there. What say you, Alice?" She only cawed in response. "I like the way you think."

Five minutes later, he noticed something wasn't quite right. The closer he got to the manor, the harder it became for him to fly. He swore the winds weren't violent or necessarily powerful, and yet they succeeded in throwing him off-balance as though they had been Wind spells rather than natural winds, even forcing him to use his Gale Aura just to buy himself time to stabilize his flight. Finally, not him but Alice was struck by something, sending her reeling so hard that when she collided with her master, she knocked him off-balance. Ni'Ran couldn't regain his composure and stability before losing too much altitude, instead bracing himself for a rough landing.

His feet hit the ground first, but he still had too much momentum for that to fully catch him and he ended up falling forward, landing face-first on the ground. Alice, being smaller and lighter, had been faster to repossess herself and fluttered down next to him, cawing softly. "I admit," Ni'Ran said, "It's not the most elegant landing in the history of my flying. Are we almost there at least?" Not expecting her to understand him -he couldn't communicate with her, no matter how much he would have liked to-, he scrambled to his feet and looked up. He was about four fifths of the way up, and sighed.

"Leg work it is, then."

"I was not aware," a quiet voice said, "that Rito possessed the ability to converse with birds." Marcus stood in the grass, a book tucked underneath his arm as he watched the Hyrulean. "Are you alright?" He stepped forward, his pack slung half-heartedly over his shoulder as he half-raised a non-threatening hand. "That was a rough landing," he said, "if you're injured, I can heal you."

---

Loft was racing through the grassy plains, his cheats heaving as he sprinted through the waves of apple-green tendrils of plant life reaching up to throttle him. There was a suspiciously bird-shaped dot flying over head that had tumbled to the ground, and Loft was eager to get there first and determine two things: if it was still alive and, if not, whether there was any salvageable meat. Rito couldn't be too-too different from birds, and birds were cookable! Just like Zoras and fish! Loft smacked his lips; he hadn't eaten in the last couple of hours, and he was horribly, devastatingly hungry.

Unfortunately for him, and fortunately for the bird, the previously mentioned green tendrils snaking up through the ground grabbed his ankle and yanked him to the ground. He tumbled, skidded forward, and came to a rough stop, still too far away to really see anything. "Cuccos!" He said, poking his skinned forearms. "That'll leave a mark."

Harry walks casually twirling his cane in his hand and whistling a tune he had heard once. "Hm. Where did I hear that song before? Was it in that one tavern with the Goron, or was it the one with that small Subro-thing person? Eh. No matter. Catchy tune none the less." Harry notices a large and rather unkept mansion. Is...is that house calling to me? I've heard of the perfect house calling out to people, but this place is a dump and I rather like the house I already have. Harry thinks to himself as he notices a Rito do a face plant in the ground. "Well that looked like it hurt."

Harry uses his cane, even though he never needs to use it except the hidden blade inside of it, to walk over to the downed Rito. Harry smiles an amused smile as he sees that Loft is also there with another kid he had never seen before. "That was a rough landing. If you're injured, I can heal you." The other kid said as Harry reached the group.

"Good evening gentlemen. And Loft. Does this fine abode belong to either of you? If so I would like to tell you that I think the house was calling to me, but I can't be too sure." Harry strokes his chin in thought before jumping a bit in realization. "Oh. Where are my manners. Harry David Massey at your service." Harry smiles his usual smile pushing up his Spectacles of Agony to get a good look at and weak and armored parts of the Rito and the other Hylian. "That is quite the fall you had Mister Rito. I must say I give the face plant a nine out of ten. Good work. Are you alright?"

"Thanks for the offer," Ni'Ran replied, not even embarrassed that his crash had been seen, "But I don't think I'm going to suffer of more than a bruise. Hardly something to waste your mana over." Besides, it wasn't like he hadn't had any bruises or bad injuries in the past. He was pretty sure that nasty black one on his upper leg was still recovering, where some retarded Moblin had hit him with the blunt end of its spear. That had been days ago, and he still felt it sometimes. Compared to that, whatever he was left with after this landing would be nothing.

A somewhat older man, but still apparently younger than Ni'Ran, joined them, saying something about the mansion calling out to him. Before asking if he was okay, the man praised his fall, provoking Ni'Ran into laughing. "A nine? Best emergency landing yet, then." That wasn't true, but the crash after he first got his wings and leapt off the mountaintop where Valoo had been, only for his wings to slack two thirds down the mountain and him plunging into the ocean, that was something he preferred to keep to himself. He hadn't even told his family and friends at the time, hoping to keep it between him, Valoo, and the Eastern Sea.

"I'll be fine, I do this every day. Well, not crashing, I'm actually capable of landing normally when the wind isn't sending feathered cannonballs into my neck." He held out his arm to Alice, and when she landed on his wrist he scratched her on her head. "May I ask why you're here, son?" he asked the younger boy, "Harry here already told us his reason, but this place hardly seems safe or interesting for someone your age. And I'm not saying that to be derogatory. I wish I was still your age."

Marcus scratched the back of his neck. He wasn't entirely sure what 'mana' was; perhaps the Ritan term magical energy? It wouldn't have done much to him, but he lowered his hand anyway. "Marcus," he said, nodding to the elder Rito. "It's that house," he said, "same as you, Mr. Massey." He looked out to the ancient manor, his skin prickling. "Something about it," he said, "it's not quite right. There's just something..." his hand was in the air, attempting to explain where his words could not. He dropped it and shrugged. "It's hard to explain," he said, tapping his hip with his long fingers and shaking his head. "It's just... off. And, if it could send you to the ground, there's definitely something magical about it."

Something had been bothering him, and he glanced over to Harry. "I'm sorry, but did you say that you saw Loft? He's not here too, is he?"

---

Loft was currently making like a soldier and crawling like a crab. He was steadily approaching the group's position, homing in on the bird's tantalizing scent. The green tendrils of plant-matter were obscuring his form, and he was absolutely sure that not even a hawk could see him in the three-inch grass. He would have that snack, he would have his feast! He just needed to bide his time and wait for the perfect opportunity to strike....

"Mr. Massey. Haven't heard that in ages. Well that is a bit of a stretch but it has been years since someone has called me that. Harry will do just fine Marcus. As for Loft he is currently crawling towards us from that direction. I believe he is trying to...hm. Pounce and attack maybe? I never can tell with him." Harry points his cane exactly where Loft is without looking in that direction. "A good effort Loft, but nothing can get past me. Well that's not quite true either." Harry laughs adjusting his glasses again.

Harry looks inquisitively at the house before extending his left arm his palm facing the house. A sphere of red energy forms inside of his palm as a Harry stares intently at the house. "Let's see what we can see." With a sound of rushing air the fireball is launched from Harry's hand rushing towards the house. Harry's eyes don't move as the fireball closes in on the house before vanishing in midair about a foot from the house. "Just as I thought. Not to be a broken record here, but it's magic. The house, or something inside of it may actually be calling to us. Well I for one am going inside." Harry walks towards the house pointing to spots in the air as if counting or pushing buttons on something. He is mumbling to himself very quietly, too quietly for anyone else to hear anything he's saying.

"Huh." Ni'Ran was officially intrigued. He didn't sense anything off, but he knew that some Hylians could just instinctively sense when things were unnatural or hostile. If two of them, both spellcasters from the look of them, felt drawn to the manor, then there had to be a cause. As he recalled from an old friend, magic rarely flowed without a source. He was no mage himself, and truth be told, he didn't stand up well against the strange forces, so it was a little unsettling that he was going into a place that apparently flowed so richly with it.

Still, he had gotten paid in advance, so calling off the mission was not an option. Besides, he had to learn to resist magic at some point. Might as well start now. "I go by Ni'Ran," he said. "I've been hired to retrieve something from that manor, hence my presence." He turned to the spellcasters. "You're both Hylians, right? Can the two of you sense whether whatever it is that's off about the manor, is hostile?" He had to use the abilities of his allies now that they were at his disposal. Normally, he'd just walk on eggshells as soon as he entered a potentially dangerous area, but if he could get the guarantee before ever going in, that would prepare him so much better.

While Ni'Ran conversed with the two Hylians, Alice had waggled up to his shoulder and now turned around, her tail feathers brushing his face. She cocked her head to one side as she looked at the person crawling over the ground, his eyes focused on her master. The Rito was in no danger, obviously, with his good reflexes and the number of skills at his disposal, but she still kept an eye on the young man, finally cawing, spreading her wings, and diving at her prey.

Marcus took up the task of responding, since Harry was already walking on. "No," Marcus said, shaking his head and glancing between Ni'Ran and the manor. "Just an overwhelming sense of..." he fidgeted, tapping his fingers against his leg and shuffling his feet. "It's like it's there," he said, frowning, "and it's... not... at the same time. It's hard to explain," he said, "it's just... off." He shook his head again, but before he could say anything else, a sharp caw rang out from Ni'Ran's shoulder.

The bird dove towards a boy crouched on the ground, and almost at the same time Loft burst into movement, jumping up towards it and reaching out his hand to grab it, his tongue lolling out and his eyes wide and hungry. "Food!" He screamed, a war-cry to match the bird's own caw.

Harry approaches the door of the house, but something was off. Harry turns to the others and shouts, "Did someone lose the door knob? I can not seem to find it." Harry turns back to the door before anyone else can respond look along the door and the wall.

"Well this is interesting. Must be a hermit or something lives here. Doesn't want to see people , so the house has no door knob to keep people out. That would make sense I suppose." Harry says to himself as he knocks on the door with his cane. Thinking he heard something Harry puts his ear to the door. "Maybe someone heard my..."

The doors burst open knocking Harry back a bit and knocking his glasses off of his face. "Well that was rude." As Harry leans down to retrieve his glasses some force jerks him into the house and the doors slam shut.

Dark. That is all Harry can see. Even with his glasses Harry would not have been able to see through the darkness. Harry unsheathes his cane's hidden sword and holds it ready, not that it will make much difference when he can't see anything.

Assuming that what Alice was attacking was a caterpillar or something similar that she had spotted, Ni'Ran had ignored her movements on his shoulder. Until he heard a young man cry out from the same direction that the Kargorok had flown off in, that was. He didn't know why she had mistaken him for prey, but he immediately turned around. "Alice! Get back here!"

His cry was unnecessary, as the tame monster was startled by her prey's sudden growth and jump, and had wheeled to fly back to him. She screeched at him from her safe perch on the shoulder furthest away from him, before poofing out her feathers and growing silent. "...Well that's a fine mess." Ni'Ran shook his head as he turned to the newcomer. "Are you okay? I'm sorry, I swear she never does that."

He looked over at Harry when he shouted about the doorknob being missing. "I didn't!" he called back. "I'm way the heck down here!" Shortly after he'd said that, though, he saw the door opening wildly and something dragging Harry inside the building before the door slammed shut with a loud bang. "Valoo's hooked tail," he muttered, turning around and starting to walk up to the mansion in order to investigate, "What was that just now?"

As he reached the mansion, he, too, took note of the absence of a doorknob. However, unlike Harry, the Rito did not experience it as an obstacle. He took hold of the sheath that hung from the left side of his waist, stabilizing it while he used his right hand to remove the sword that was stored inside it. "Get away from the door, Harry!" he shouted as he put one foot back, drawing back his weapon and aligning it parallel to the ground.

He had learned this technique not too long ago on a mission, but at the time he'd had a Fairy to help him with pulling it off. The Fairy had belonged to the Kokiri that had accompanied him on the mission, so when their ways parted, he had obviously not been able to keep it. He had spent most of his training time learning how to put enough force behind the blow to pull it off, but ever since that mission he hadn't had a monster or situation in which he really needed it. Finally, after a few seconds of preparation, he lunged forward, connecting the tip of his sword with the door and pushing his blade through the wood, not just poking it out of its hinges, but utterly shattering it.

With the door gone, he sheathed his sword and bent forward, picking up the glasses that Harry had undoubtedly dropped. Walking inside, the front part of the hall now illuminated by the daylight that came in through where the door had once been, he held them out to their owner. "Are you hurt? Stay close to me, we don't want anything like that to happen again."

Loft's hands grasped open air, and he fell to the ground, slumped and cheated out of a meal. He opened his mouth to moan, but Ni'Ran was already rushing on. "Wait," he called, "come back with my meal!" He scrambled to his feet and dashed after the pigeon-like man and his large, yummy, delicious, meaty, barbecued bird.

Marcus followed behind them at a more leisurely pace. He wasn't particularly worried, and his rushing wouldn't really help anything. He arrived just in time to see Ni'Ran smash the door to bits, and he smiled; it was always nice to journey with someone experienced in the blade. Especially when that person was on his side. Harry was on the other side of the door, a sword grasped tightly in his hands.

Before them stretched the shadowy hall, the only illumination coming from the light streaming in from the open door. Marcus immediately rummaged around his pack and pulled out his Blue Candle, its cold flame burning brightly and unwaveringly. "Are you hurt, Harry?" He asked. He didn't look it, but it was always best to ask.

"So now I am alone in a dark kidnapping house, without my glasses, with other people who might not even know what happened, and I really need to find a bathroom. Eh, I've been in worse." As Harry talks to himself there is sounds coming from the door. Harry turns pointing his sword conjuring an ice ball to the tip. "Attack a blind man eh? Come at me brethren."

The door bursts open bringing light flooding into the hallway. Harry holds true still aiming his ice ball at the blobs of darkness in the light. Harry dispells the ice ball as the lead blob speaks in the same voice as the Rito speak to him. "Are you hurt? Stay close to me, we don't want anything like that to happen again."

Harry lowers his sword and resheathes it into his cane twisting it to lock the blade in. Harry can tell that the Rito blob is extending his arm towards Harry for some reason and Harry assumes it to be the Rito handing Harry his glasses back. Hand fumbling Harry manages to grab a hold of his glasses and puts them on. Being able to see Harry bows and says, "Thank you Mr. Ni'Ran. I apologize for the ice ball and sword in your face."

Ni'Ran allowed a curse to slip his mouth when Harry pushed a sword with an ice ball at the tip under his beak. With luck, his companions wouldn't understand that it was a curse because he had spoken in the non-Hylian-resembling version of the Rito language, as he often did when surprised. He was in greater luck, as the man lowered his weapon upon recognizing Ni'Ran as not hostile, and put his glasses back on. From now on, he should be able to recognize his companions again- at least Ni'Ran hadn't seen any cracks in the glass.

"Don't mention it," he said to Harry upon his apology. "Just don't let it happen again." It was obvious he didn't mean to threaten the Hylian, though. He was a little concerned for how they were going to navigate the inside of the manor if it was entirely this dark. After all, the light from the door only reached so far. They couldn't even see the other side of the hallway, which offered very bad prospects for the rest of the building.

Fortunately, Marcus was much better prepared than Ni'Ran was. He took a candle out of his pack, the wick of which burst into a blue flame before the Rito's eyes. He nodded in approval. He wasn't familiar with this particular phenomenon, but in Hyrule it wasn't unreasonable to assume that anything could be done with magic. Conjuring up an unusually-colored flame that spread cold rather than warmth was not precisely terribly far-fetched a use for the strange power that some people held. ...not the most useful use, either, but Ni'Ran supposed that if he had spent more time on it he would have been able to come up with situations in which the cold could come in handy.

"It's always nice to have prepared companions," he said to the youngster. He had no time to converse with him further, nor the curiosity to the fire to want to do so, as he turned his head to examine the hallway. The walls were made out of a material with a color approaching sand, but more greyish. Or maybe that was just paint, as Ni'Ran did see boarding on the bottom portion. The ceiling was supported by several dark grey wooden beams along the edges of the wall. He didn't risk touching any of them, as they looked like they could fall apart.

"Stay by my side," he snapped back to reality and spoke to Marcus. "I'll go ahead first, but I have to see what I'm doing. I have terrible sight in the dark."

Marcus cleared his throat awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Guess Harry didn't really need healing, then. "Right," he said to Ni'Ran. He turned slightly to the side, the Blue Candle's flame unwavering even through the rush of wind, and addressed Loft. "Do you still have your Red Candle?"

Soon enough, the two of them were walking beside, and just a little behind, Ni'Ran. Loft still eyed the Kargorok hungrily, but seemed unwilling to actually do anything at the moment. Better to wait, bide his time, until a more opportune moment to feast presented itself to his salivating jaws... he licked his lips. Mm.

Soon, they came upon a choice of doors. A sign stood between them, and its letters seemed to glow blue, plainly set against the otherwise gloom of the room.

Marcus scanned it quickly. It was a complicated rhyme, but he had the feeling that present company wouldn't appreciate too much, so he paraphrased. "They both lead to the same place," he said, "if we go through the red door, we'll have to pass through a straight gauntlet of monsters. If we go through the green, we'll have to go through traps and puzzles, but no monsters." He looked to Ni'Ran, whom he viewed as the group's leader. "Well?"

"Hm. It is rather dark in here. I would put some torches up or something. I still wish to talk to the owner of this house though." Harry followed the Rito, Ni'Ran, and the two other Hylians, Marcus and Loft.

Harry inspects the sign and starts speaking without looking away from the sign. "Well that is something you do not see everyday. Sometimes I wish I had some glowing blue ink on me. Never know when it would come in handy. Like now for instance. Hm. With or without monsters. What kind of monsters? And in the other door what kind of puzzles and traps? Or is this just the illusion of free choice and both doors lead to the proverbial slaughterhouse? Are we mere cattle being driven by some all powerful force with our every action being controlled and our very being completely made up and the creator, or creators, are just making us think that we are able to choose our fate, but it is a fruitless 'choice' to make as the eventual outcome is the absolute same?" Harry scratches his nose and pushes his glasses further up his face before adding. "I vote for green personally. I like a good puzzle to get the ol' noodle going."

Ni'Ran scratched his head, noticing how pristine the paint on the doors was. The doors themselves weren't in too amazing a state, but the paint hadn't chipped or worn. With the state the wallpaper or paint in the rest of what he had seen of the mansion was in, this was remarkable at the very least, even to the Rito who was not the most observant of people.

Upon arriving at the sign, Ni'Ran started to read over the glowing blue letters, although the wording was mind-breaking for him. He was a slow reader, being rather unfamiliar with the Hylian script, and so he was grateful to hear Marcus explaining what the sign read. Either a monster gauntlet or a parlor of trickery... Ni'Ran's personal preference was clear. At least, it would have been, had he been alone in this place.

Even though Marcus had asked him for his opinion, he let Harry finish stating his own -between the weirdest statements Ni'Ran could have imagined making in this situation- preference, before he switched the hands Alice was sitting on. He commonly did that when he was thinking, or when he had to weigh his options. The Kargorok didn't seem to mind, content to walk back and forth between her master's hands.

"Obviously," he said, thoughtfully, "Being what I am and doing what I do, I'd prefer the monster gauntlet. Straight combat sounds much more appealing to me than brainbreakers. However, I don't know how well the rest of you would hold up, and the last time I went into a monster-infested area with someone else in tow, I..." He found himself unable to finish the sentence, instead opting to shake his head. "Of course, there is the option to consider that it's a trap and we're still going to be attacked no matter what we choose, but I'm going to leave the decision up to the three of you for now. We can always turn back and pick the other door if our chosen trial proves too much."

"I know," Marcus said to Harry as they walked, grimacing at the unsettling combination of gloom and varying purple light. "I do too; this place just radiates...." Again he found himself at a lack for words to describe the peculiar dream-like 'here and not' sensation that the mansion produced.

Loft eyed the Kargorok sadly as it was shifted to the other side of Ni'Ran, farther away from him. His food was walking away from him, and he felt so sad that he could almost start crying. He just wanted love from the bird; nice, barbecued, roasted, toasted, broasted love. Was this too much to ask?

Harry voted for the green door, but Marcus still wasn't sure. 'A good ole' puzzle' wasn't helping him to decide which path would better determine their survival. Ni'Ran left the decision to him- well, technically he left it up to him, Harry, and Loft, but please. Harry had already stated his vote, and the way he did it was much more of a suggestion than a decision, and Loft... well, Loft was a stupid, suicidal idiot. He wasn't going to listen to anything that boy said.

"Whatever path we choose," Marcus said slowly, "should be the one with a higher chance of survival. Ni'Ran and Loft can both fight, and I can heal any injury from a distance- Harry, I don't know. Are you good in combat? As for puzzles and traps... well, it sounds like it'd just be me and Harry there." He licked his lips, nervous. "I can't heal forever. If there are too many monsters, one of us may end up dying. Maybe... maybe puzzles would be best."

"Come on, then," Loft said, skipping through the green door. He stepped out onto soft grass, and when he turned, all he could see was a blank stone wall. "Uh-oh. Marcus?"

"Well I suppose that answers the conundrum of 'choose your poison' then right? Green door it is." Harry points his cane towards the green door looking to the other two before shrugging his shoulders and walking through the door.

As Harry walked through the door he sees green fields as far as the eye can see. No trees at all obstructed the view of the waves of tall grass in the distance being blown by a gentle breeze. Harry looks over to see Loft. "Oh. Hello Loft. Lovely weather we are having huh? Especially for inside a house."

Harry looks back towards the door only to see a blank stone wall. "Well. Either we made a wrong choice or it's a one way street from here on out." Harry taps his cane against the wall. It is solid and makes the standars wooden cane hitting stone sound. "Yep. No way back. Want to play some cards?" Harry pulls a deck of cards out of his suit pocket.

When both Loft and Harry bounced through the green door, Ni'Ran shrugged, supposing that the choice had been made for them. Alice cawed at the open door loudly when he passed through it, suddenly finding himself in what appeared to be a lush meadow. Behind him was a stone wall, but it only stretched for a few feet to either side before just ending, and it was the only form of structure in the field before them. Alice had stopped cawing and now shivered on his hand, as if she sensed something was off that Ni'Ran did not.

He looked up. Instead of a ceiling, he saw a blue sky with the occasional puffy white cloud. "I'd say this counts as a pretty impressive illusion," he muttered, petting the shivering bird and immediately yelling out in pain as she pecked his finger. "Ow! Alice!" when he held up his arm so she could fly off, she instead fluttered to the ground, where she remained in place, still shivering and looking around nervously.

"I'll go see what I can find," he said, spreading his wings. "Maybe there's something down the field." He then kicked the ground, using that start along with his wings to gain altitude. However, he did not come high up. As he ascended, the sky gradually darkened and more, darker clouds started to pack together. When he did not stop his ascent, thunder started rumbling above his head. Finally, as he stopped and hung still in the air for a second trying to get his bearings, he was struck by a lightning bolt.

For the second time in a short while, he tumbled to the ground, although this time he could make a slightly more fortunate landing on his feet. As he reached the ground and looked back up, he saw that the skies had regained their bright blue, near-cloudless state. Alice hopped up to him, rubbing her head against his leg, and Ni'Ran turned his attention to his left arm, which had been hit by the lightning. It hung limply next to his body, and when he pushed it up with his right hand, it fell back. No matter how he willed it to move, it would not obey. "Great," he muttered. "At least it's not my sword arm."

Putting his other hand on his hip, he looked at the other three. "Apparently this place doesn't want me to go scouting. I can't fly on one wing."

Marcus followed last. "About time," Loft's voice said as he stepped through the door. He was sprawled out on the grass, cards held close to his face as he stared at Harry. "Your move, Larry."

Something thumped to the ground ahead of him; Ni'Ran had fallen from the skies, his left arm wing black and singed. Marcus ran forward, searching the skies with his gaze, but nothing was there. Just normal blue skies, not a monster in sight.

"What happened?" He asked, setting down next to him. He ran a hand in the air above it, sending magic through the air to heal it. While the magic ran its course, shedding the dead cells and regrowing new ones, he glanced around for any sort of landmark. A few dozen feet ahead of them stood a flag, its ripped and tattered red cloth blowing in a nonexistent wind.