I'll Take an Axe to Your Skull [Eevachu + Clooby]

Discussion in 'Classic Dungeons' started by Eevachu, Apr 19, 2014.

  1. Eevachu

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    Rika couldn't help but flinch at Lucian's words. It was true, there would be Skulltula, and he had encountered worse so far- hell, in the last twenty-four hours they had to fend off the gargantuan queen of spiders herself, which admittedly kind of nulled his fear towards a typical Skulltula-, but it was still not a pleasant thought in the slightest. If he wanted to make it out alive- to purify this treacherous infestation-, he would have to move on, and it was not long before they located their exit. Following Lucian's lead, Rika pushed off the ground, leaping high into the air and jumping cleanly out of the well.

    Rika's eyes narrowed at the small band of wandering. . . somethings. It was difficult to make out exactly what these somethings were, but it was reasonable to assume they were Stalfos. With a fling of Lucian's arm their skirmish was started, the fierce sound of explosives acting as a signal to start the combat. Amid the fog and gunpowder, it was difficult to determine the immediate result of the explosion, but the handful of Stalfos rushing at the duo answered that. There seemed to be three humanoid figures running towards the two of them, but unlike when they were searching, they had spread and put distance between one another.

    Before Rika could act though, he was assaulted from behind. His arm locked to his side, sticky webbing coated his shoulder, left arm, and the left side of his chest, binding them all together. There was no mistake about it, Rika could tell immediately from the texture- this was Skulltula webbing. "Look out, there's Skulltula in the trees!" Rika cautioned Lucian, but he had to worry about himself, as a Stalfos was charging at the partially disabled Kokiri.

    There was no way he could fight a Stalfos in melee combat with a two-handed weapon and only one hand. Swinging his scythe forward, a swirling vortex of Ice and Wind, some fusion of the two spells from casting them simultaneously, zoomed forward, crashing into the charging Stalfos's chest and sending him backwards and onto the ground- but not out. If Rika wanted to contribute in any notable capacity, he would have to get rid of this webbing.
  2. Cloud

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    Lucian dropped another bomb at his feet as he noticed another Stalfos closing in on him. He sailed over its head, once again using Helm Splitter, bashing the creature apart just as its blade began to extend to where Lucian had been. A few moments later, and his bomb went off, completely obliterating the undead. But there was more to deal with-- and it seemed like his companion had been incapacitated, even if just for now.

    He hadn't seen the Stalfos charging Rika, but he had heard when the spell had impacted its dull rib cage and presumably knocked its dusty old bones apart. He strode over to its body and laid down a bomb, before smashing a few bones underfoot, just to ensure that it stayed down only a while longer.

    He was practically an expert at slaying Stalfos, he realized. But that didn't matter right now. Well, it kind of mattered right now, but there were more important things going on. Like being attacked by Stalfos, which he was practically an expert on killing. So yes, it did matter. It mattered a lot. In fact, it mattered so much that his life practically depended upon it at this very moment. But what also mattered is that some kind of something was still approaching through the mist. Probably another Stalfos. But this one was much taller, broader-- bigger all around --than the others. This one was humongous. It was going to take a lot of bombs to take this guy out.

    "Rika, uh, do you see that?" He exclaimed over the fog that covered the distance between them-- between him and Rika, and himself and that... thing. It was larger than it had any real right to be. He drew an explosive, and wondered exactly how many bombs it was going to take to down this thing for good.
  3. Eevachu

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    Luckily for Rika, Lucian was a bomb toting Hylian with a good underhand throw- the worst enemy of any skeletal fiend. Still, one crafty- or perhaps lucky- Stalfos had evaded Lucian while he was on his bomb-chucking rampage, and was headed straight for the Kokiri who was in little position to fight. He could not rely on his scythe- he would have to resort to another weapon. As the Stalfos closed in on him, Rika drew a dagger with his free hand- certainly a bit of a mismatch with the longer blade the skeleton wielded, but it would have to work. The two of them clashed steel against steel, a dodge and parry coming out of Rika. There was little he could do to harm the Stalfos with his dagger, but that was not his objective- he only had to get it off of his tail for but a moment.

    Instead of thrusting forward to stab the Stalfos, he pointed his dagger forward. Embers blossomed from the tip of the blade, erupting outward in a circular shape as Fire crashed against the Stalfos's skull and send it tumbling off his head and onto the ground, knocking the entire Stalfos's body back in a daze. It was dazed, though not out, but that was all the distraction Rika needed. Taking his dagger, he tore at the Skulltula webbing coating his arm, taking little care to his well being- he could feel his blade lightly graze against his flesh, but it was nothing more than a flesh wound compared to what would happen if he kept fighting in this shape. He had little time to remove it all, but at the very least he could regain use of his arm.

    With the albeit still somewhat limited mobility of his arm recovered, Rika hastily chucked an Aqua Grenade in front of him, grinding the Stalfos bones to dust and finishing it once and for all.

    With their foes slain, Rika was almost ready to celebrate- until his attention was drawn to the towering, masked figure in the fog. "What the hell. . .?" Rika muttered, glancing over to Lucian with wild eyes as he tried to tear off what little bit of webbing he could.

    There was no reason for them to stand around doing nothing. Extending his palm, a glowing circle formed underneath the large figure- though it was difficult to see through the fog-, and a couple moments later, a violent crash was heard as Spire tore against the creature's foot. Yet, it did not fall. A moment passed, and then another, and it had not collapsed. It was impossible to tell the effectiveness of the spell, but it was clearly still standing. Then, just as he began wondering if it was even alive, Rika caught a glimpse of an object catapulting through the mist and crashing against the ground, narrowly missing Lucian- it was a boulder. "Shit! We have to move in closer!" Rika barked at Lucian. If it was throwing boulders at them, they could not stay this far away unless they wanted to be pelted over and over with little hope of retaliation. Plus, if they got closer, they could get a better look at what exactly it was.
  4. Cloud

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    Lucian only watched as the boulder barely missed him. By the time Rika was saying anything, he was already off on a mad dash towards whatever the hell just threw that thing at him. Why was he running towards the danger and not away from it? Because it was a Stalfos, presumably, which meant he knew how to kill it. The answer was with bombs; but how many? It didn't matter, because he literally had an infinite amount of them on his person at any given time.

    He continued to run, fog thinning with each step he took towards the towering monstrosity. Eventually, the large, barrel-chested being came into view; it dwarfed Lucian, and would have made Rika felt like he was truly a child, if he were alongside him to witness this creature. But he would be soon. "Throwing bombs!" Lucian announced, planting the first explosive at the monster's feet. If he could keep his distracted, then... It was then that he noticed the mound sticking through the foot of the enormous Stalfos, having shattered a number of bones on its way up and through the Stalfos.

    "Even if he wanted to move to hit us, he couldn't," he said under his breath, briefly drowned out by the explosion not far from him. He threw another bomb as he waited for Rika to catch up to him.
  5. Eevachu

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    Rika could already see Lucian's outline moving- he would have to follow behind. As he began running, however, Rika was stopped once more. Another giant boulder was hurdling straight at the Kokiri- this time, its aim was not off. Throwing his arms up to shield his head, the Kokiri dived to the ground, luckily managing to avoid being smashed to pieces as the rock smashed into the ground nearby. He could feel rubble from the impact bounce against his back, but it was of no notable injury- he had no time to worry about that. Rolling to his feet, Rika recovered just in time to spot another Skulltula in the trees. It spit its webbing at Rika, but he was prepared this time- with a quick swipe of his scythe, he cleaved the sticky projectile in half. He could not focus on the Skulltula- they were literally nothing more than a distraction to the bigger picture, and plus, it rest better on his mind to pretend they were not actually there.

    A short distance away, Rika heard the increasingly familiar- and likely increasingly ear-damaging- sound of bombs going off. The Stalfos's already damaged leg had been completely brutalized- it was unlikely you could even call it a leg anymore, as it was more a mash up of shattered bones. In retaliation, the skeletal giant thrust its leg forward at Lucian in a kick. Though a lot of the fearsome power the kick held had likely faded with injury, he would find himself pelted by many small fragments and shards of bone that had been torn apart.

    Finally, Rika had reached the Stalfos and could get a better look at it. Despite being colossal in size, it was unarmed and otherwise seemed to be a normal Stalfos, which meant that it would fall like a normal Stalfos. "Throw a bomb inside its ribcage!" Rika commanded to the Hylian, though he could not see where he was at the moment- his attention was drawn more towards the Stalfos, after all. Damaging its leg was a positive for them, but if they wanted to truly defeat it they would need to destroy more than that.
  6. Cloud

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    He dodged the kick with a Helm Splitter-- a very close call, if you had asked him. But no one did, so he kept his comments to himself. A second later, the explosion sounded, ringing through his ears. He was amazed that he only had tinnitus to such a low degree, and not a burst eardrum.

    Then, the skeleton started to fall. Where it would fall was unknown-- but if Lucian had any sense in him, it was to get the hell out of the way of this thing. He hid behind the mound that was up the splintered leg, convinced that it would likely be the safest place to hide. Bones rained down in front of him, signs of the Stalfos already having potentially being defeated. But, Lucian knew otherwise. These things could reform-- it wasn't until you destroyed their head was shattered to at least some degree that you could call a fight truly over.

    Speaking which, the head had yet to fall. Would it be possible-- Crash! Well, there went that theory of his, as he stared the head down. Its eyesockets were alit with what appeared to be purple flame. He was initially flabbergasted-- then realized that was just how some Stalfos were. Finally, he opened his Bomb Bag, pulling out a bomb and chucking it at the skeleton with as much force as he could muster.

    It exploded, having slid through an eye socket. For safety, he left another bomb in there as well-- when he finally got out of there, he made sure Rika was with him. "Come on-- we really need to get into the house!" There was desperation in his voice. It was with a need, something that he hadn't felt in quite some time.

    They trekked through the harsh forest, still unclear as to what was really messing with the place. "Urgh!" He hacked up blood. There was suddenly a bad fever; he could feel himself burning up. "Shit..." He was still running. Still trying to get in. Finally, they made it in. "Listen, Rika," he asked of him-- told him to-- get out of here. Whether he would end up seeing him again was... questionable, to say the least.
  7. Eevachu

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    The Stalfos had fallen, yet so had Lucian. The duo narrowly made their way into the house before Lucian found himself collapsing from his fever. Bringing him to a nearby bed, Lucian could barely deliver his last words before he was out of it- the fever seemed to have made him delirious and completely incapacitated. There was little Rika could do to heal diseases, but at the very least, he could provide some basic first aid and treatment. The house seemed relatively normal, like at one point, someone had lived in it- though that point was clearly some time before now, as a thick residue of dust coated the house. Still, though, Rika could find basic tools to assist in his aid of Lucian- cloth he could use to cover or clean wounds, primarily.

    Of note, Rika found various pieces of text throughout the house. They were quite old, but Rika would not pass up a chance to potentially learn more about this place- carefully, he began to briefly examine them. Most seemed relatively uninteresting, but one in particular caught Rika's interest. An old, scuffled text titled "The Evarsiome". It was a term he had never in his life heard, which was something Rika did not often say.

    Skimming through it, it appeared to be some sort of prophetic vision signaling the end of the world. It was in a mix of Hylian and primarily Ancient Hylian, making it difficult to understand in its entirely. Yet, in Hylian it spoke:

    Awaken the abyss at the site of evils, and heal the world from eternal damnation.

    Rika could make out from other pieces he understood that this was some sort of text to one group referred to as the Cult of Evarsi, who believed a great beast would rise one day and cleanse the world of all its evils. His mind went back to the mural he had saw previously- was that what that was depicting? Yet, if the beast is what was purifying the world, was it the man who was the evils? This must have been one of those crazy cults. Still, though, Rika had never once heard their name- it was possible they had long since been forgotten to time, and no members existed to this day. Regardless, Rika's interest had been piqued regarding them. While he did not have the time to research them currently- after all, far more pressing matters existed as of now, and further more he was not even capable of reading a good portion of the text-, this would be something he would explore in the future.

    Placing the book on the table, he would soon return to Lucian. He had more than rested up, and was ready to continue his movement forward, to defeat the evil sickening his forest, even if he was once again alone. Taking one last glance at Lucian, Rika set out of the house and back into the forest.
  8. Eevachu

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    ...

    ...

    It was strange. There wasn't a single sign of an enemy. He had come across the hare once more. Continuing his chase of it, it seemed to weave between and around trees, turn and move randomly, and occasionally even seem to move in circles. Was his fortune simply a sign of good luck, or did the rabbit have something to do with it? Rika paid it no mind, as contemplating it would accomplish nothing- if it was luck, then it was luck and there was nothing he could do about it. If it was the hare, however, he would just have to trust it continued to employ its talents- it still seemed to be leading Rika somewhere, after all.

    ...

    ...

    If it was leading Rika somewhere, this was where. The trees seemed to rise and spread out, though Rika noted curiously that the branches and foliage seemed to have been torn off, as if clearing way for something. The hare dashed into a small clearing up in the distance, then vanished, as if its duty was complete. At first glance, the clearing seemed to have nothing of note, save for a vine sticking out of the ground about half a dozen feet, with a large, bulbous thing- perhaps a seed, or a fruit- attached to the end.

    As soon as Rika took a step forward, the bulb opened, blossoming like a flower of some kind. Yet, instead of something beautiful, it was a horrific, almost snarling, demonic monster. Despite being attached to the vine, and looking like some sort of plant from the outside, it was clear that the inside was no plant- it looked more like some kind of insect. An ear-piercing screech echoed from the bulb, and it felt as if the very forest was rumbling- the branches rattled, and the leaves shook scattering to the ground. Rika couldn't help but clench his ears, though the noise quickly came to a halt. The bulb rolled itself down the vine until eventually it reached the ground- its body was now completely ensnared by the vine, providing it with a sort of armor and increasing its mass. That wasn't all, however.

    One thing quickly dawned on Rika- the vine was not attached to the ground. With a height just under Rika's, and a wingspan doubling that, a colossal moth rose out of the ground, glittering particles drifting to the ground below it as its winged flapped. It was absolutely massive, how had Rika not seen it before? There was only one answer- camouflage. It looked to be a massive Mothula, but Rika was well versed in their abilities- invisibility was not one of them. Was this one different? Normally, the thought would have fascinated Rika, but this was unfortunately not the proper time.

    Energy swarmed at its center for less than a moment before a forked beam shot out towards Rika. The Kokiri could do little but duck behind a tree, and luckily for him, the tainted wood stood up to its blow- though not without its burning on impact.

    This had to be it- there was no other explanation for its unique ability and the strange bulb on its back. This had to be the parasite he had seen coming here.
  9. Eevachu

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    Branch after branch sizzled against Rika's backs, the Kokiri weaving between tree and shrub alike to avoid the hissing orbs of energy launching forward at him. The spinning balls Mothula called its primary attack were fast and frequent, leaving little opportunity for Rika to follow up with a counter assault, but luckily for the Kokiri, their power nary-matched their swiftness. They did little to the sturdy oak guarding their target, and even with the scarcity of the trees Rika was able to defend himself. He would have to take an opening soon, lest he continue his cat-and-mouse game forever. It was a waste of time, and also a complete bore for him- not that interest was a concern he held at the moment.

    The whirling 'whew-whew' of the giant insect's blast signaled his move. At this point, he had generally learned the pattern of its attacks; though its attacks were often, and it prepared another blast before the other connected, there was still a minimal stagger between assaults. Furthermore, though quick, they fired at a constant angle with the middle's direction always centered on Rika, and were thus quite predictable. Sliding out from behind his tree and thrusting his finger forward with a quick snap, a ball of flames- followed by one of wind- surged forward, enveloping the beast in flames and the forest in its inhumane cries no Mothula would normally make. No, that assumption was a mistake- those cries were not the Mothula, but the parasite controlling it. With a powerful flap of its wings, a gust of shimmering, golden wind filled the trees and it dipped backwards. Try as he might, Rika's eyes were unable to follow Mothula and it vanished entirely. No, it was not gone- there was no reason for it to try to flee. It had turned invisible again. The only thing he could make out as it backed out were a small handful of the minuscule, darkly colored moths sliding out of its body.

    "Coward. No doubt to lick its wounds." Rika muttered, but as he inhaled, a violent cough escaped his lips. That was when his eyes caught up with his surroundings- an uncountable number of brilliant golden specks hovered around Rika, and an uncountably less number filled his lungs with every breath he took. It took his eyes a moment to adjust, but he recognized them as the powder that had fell off the Mothula. At least, he believed it to be so, but they were beginning to get too blurry to make out, and were beginning to spin. Did he get shorter? No, he just fell to his knee.

    This intense wooziness began to fade after a few moments, leaving Rika on his knees staring intently at his hands. His vision began to focus once more and his hands fell back into clear sight, but he was not sure what he was looking at- what was that on them? Oh, right. The past couple moments rushed back into Rika's mind like a crucial memory he had forgotten, and with it, a sharp pain on his face. He had sneezed. That made sense. But, that was not merely snot on his hands- that was blood. "Ugh..." Seemingly shrugging it off, Rika stumbled- quite literally- to his feet, his balance thrown off by the poison he had seemingly ingested.

    He didn't even notice the swarm of moths flocking around him.
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2017
  10. Eevachu

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    In the few moments Rika had spent adjusting to his newfound disability, he had learned that any sharp or sudden movement invoked blurring nausea for little more than a few seconds, but otherwise he could see and act as much as was required to stay upright and move. Still, though, it did not disable the sharp pain splitting across his skull or the occasional drips of blood running from his nose that he had to wipe. In all of this distraction, though, Rika had lost sight of the black moths that had been spawned just as the Mothula fled. Had they too chosen to escape? Normally Rika would advise his foes that was the right decision, but he did not peg these creatures as the kind with any sort of intelligence or thought. In fact, he had assumed the only reason they appeared at all was to stall for time so the Mothula could recover- the fact they weren't swarming all over him was surprising.

    But, he felt his body weigh heavy and his steps dizzy. It was a different sort from what the powder had caused, though. This was more like a strong feeling of lethargy had washed over his body. He felt his muscles tense and his sense of magic dulled. That was when his eyes drifted down to his feet, and it became clear to him what was happening. The ever-glowing dim, translucent blue that enchanted his legs with the Jump spell was gone, but it should have had another while before the effect wore off. It had to have been stolen, but by what? His mind lingered for a moment before his body acted. With a quick spin of his scythe, Rika performed a rather clunky Deku Pirouette in place. His coordination was un-smooth, the magical waves that normally permeated had been dialed down like turning a shower into a faucet, and he collapsed to the ground at the end of his twirl, but for enemies as weak as those around him, it did its job well enough. A majority of the black moths latching onto Rika were torn into shreds just by the minor energy Rika could muster, though a handful were able to predict the surge of magic from his body and flutter away.

    It was not the powder that had weakened his attacks, but the moth- after spinning, it became clear to him they were sapping his magic. They seemed virtually harmless otherwise, so it must have been their only real ability outside of serving as a distraction. Unfortunately, they worked remarkably quick- Rika had killed a majority of them, but in that time they sapped a large quantity of his magical power, and it was not something that would refill immediately. Time was his biggest foe in this battle, as well, so waiting for his magic power to recharge would be fruitless.

    Stumbling back to his feet using his scythe as a makeshift cane to bring him upward and sliding bloody fingerprints across its pole, Rika's eyes scanned the nearby foliage best he could. Unfortunately, even at full comprehension it was not clear what was what around him- in this state there was no way to tell where the Mothula was. That was when his ears caught the chittering, the rubbing- the sound of a Skulltula diving down towards him. Out of instinct, Rika dove backwards, crashing into the ground again. Why did another enemy have to attack him now, especially a Skulltula of all things?! He hated them, surely, but they were denizens of the forest; were they not aware he was on their side? He supposed that was why Skulltulas deserved extermination.

    His heavy arms gripped his scythe- at least, he believed they did, as he could only vaguely feel his fingers press against the metal- and he lunged forward. Though, it was more like his entire body kind of bounced forward with his scythe in the lead. It seemed to cleave right through the Skulltula, and the blade was now stuck in mid-air. The Skulltula spun in place, unarmed, before vanishing. "Wai..." Rika managed to cough out amid spit and blood, though it took his body a few moments to catch up. His scythe blade was lodged into a tree, and in his mind, it felt like it had been there the entire time. But, Rika was certain it had not- there was a Skulltula, and no tree in sight.

    His mind had no time to process this new revelation, though, as a glowing orange orb slammed into Rika and sent him hurdling away from his scythe that was playing handaxe and straight to the ground. He could not see what hit him, but it had to be the Mothula. Only after Rika was in such a disabled state would it strike again, huh? It truly was cowardly.
  11. Eevachu

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    Rika’s senses- nay, all of his connections with the outside world- felt nulled. It felt as though he couldn’t feel the warm steel of his scythe, couldn’t breathe even the foul air of the noxious swamp, couldn’t sense the sharp pain running across his chest from the blow that had just sent him hurdling to the ground. In reality, this lack of sensation was all false, a mirage played by his mind; he could, in fact breathe, and the pain coursing through his body was very much real. But to him, it felt like none of it was happening.

    Unconsciously, he knew the attack came from the Mothula, but his body felt too heavy to move his head in its direction. Rolling to his feet, Rika ran forward only to crash into a tree that had seemingly materialized out of nowhere. Even with his body cursed as it were, he was certain there was nothing in his path- and in fact, there seemed to be far more trees than before, as if he had wandered back into the bustling nest of trees they were once in. But, the Kokiri knew he had not treaded his previous ground- the actual distance he had moved since encountering the Mothula was minimal. Thus, with the newfound trees and the immaterial Skulltula he had encountered, there was only one possible explanation; they were not actually real. Initially he had not assumed it to be the truth, as they were not known to possess abilities akin to this whatsoever, but it must have been another adverse effect of the golden powder the Mothula flung at him. It must have been the result of that parasite, which even granted the moth powerful hallucinogenic capabilities that could make Rika see what was not and ignore what was.

    For now, he would have to steady his mind- as is, he was fighting against both the moth and himself. Pulling himself around the newfound tree he had run into, his eyes began to straighten and focus to get a glimpse of the moth. Interesting, it seems as though its invisibility, while powerful, had some limitations- perhaps it could not attack while guised among the trees. There was something else that differed about it, though; its right wing that Rika had attacked was torn and singed, massive holes almost entirely ripping it apart. Massive flecks of insect matter struggled to sling on as the Mothula fluttered violently in the air to stay afloat. Yet, it could not keep its body centered- it waved wildly back and forth, struggling to fly with the support of only one-and-a-quarter of its wings. At least Rika was not the only one who had been messed up by their attacks.

    Unfortunately, the Mothula was not the only thing he had seen- a sea of Skulltula rained down from the many trees that had seemingly spawned. “They’re. . .all in my head. . .” Rika muttered to himself, though even logic was not enough to stop the quick beating of his heart and the shock of fear that overwhelmed him. The only thing stopping him from fleeing was that he was physically unable to- even though his mind panicked, his body stayed numb. Despite the powder causing these visions in the first place, it was also the only thing truly stopping them from affecting him.

    He had to keep moving closer to the Mothula, though; he could finish it if he landed another decisive strike, but with his energy both physical and magical so low, missing even one strike would prove fatal. Slowly, he pushed his way closer to the Mothula, glowing balls of energy catapulting beside him. At the very least, the Mothula’s erratic movements made it difficult to aim precisely. Now, its pinpoint accuracy had devolved into little more than luck.
  12. Eevachu

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    Trekking forward at a slow pace, Rika approached his first Skulltula. Perhaps his sense of fear was numbed too, or maybe he was simply losing his mind, but at any rate, the hallucinogen's effects were something he could use to his advantage. With heavy, deep breaths, Rika pushed himself, and moved through the illusory Skulltula without any sort of interruption. They were fake, he convinced himself- not that he did not believe it himself, but he had to justify it within his mind in some way with each Skulltula. The second, he passed. The third. By this point, his mind had almost convinced himself of their fakeness.

    The fourth. Once he passed through, he saw a crackling ball of force vaulting towards him. Rika crashed- quite literally- to the ground to avoid it, and it sailed over what would have been his shoulder. Though he avoided the blow, with the pain he felt hitting the ground, he may as well have been hit. Scrambling up to his feet, he pressed forward onto the fifth. His mind had adjusted to the illusion at this point, Rika did not even register his body crashing to the ground, from the spin and chitter of the colossal spider to the sound of leaf and branch crunching as his back slid against the cold floor. He had fooled himself into thinking they were all fake, but that was a mistake. Maybe if he just laid there, the Mothula would eventually hit it, since it was in its line of attack.

    As much as Rika would have liked to, that wouldn't have been a wise strategy- with the tricks this parasite bestowed it, he could not risk regeneration being one of them.

    His body moving forward- likely, anyway, he could not really feel if his hands or arms still functioned, though with the blade of his scythe swaying with each step catching the edge of his eye, it seemed as if by some miracle they did. His legs still functioned, but only barely, and it was unlikely they would hold out much longer. Had he even climbed to his feet? He supposed so- he was walking, after all. His vision had started to fog, clouded by a strange blurriness and crimson alike. Were his eyes crying out droplets of blood, now, begging for his mind to halt, his body to rest? He couldn't disagree, but it was not the time for that, not for a few more moments.

    Now, he was met face to face with his adversary; the Mothula, only a small handful of feet spacing them apart. He would have to finish it in this moment, or die. There was no other option.
  13. Eevachu

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    Rika's eyes stared face-to-face with a flashing charge of energy emanating from the Mothula's core. It was time for him to finish this fight, one way or another. Brilliant lights launched from the Mothula's body, and in response, Rika moved. Mustering the last of his physical and magical energy, Rika's feet blinked rapidly before shining a brilliant blue like a lightbulb, and his body pushed itself into the air. How he had the energy to jump, Rika was not quite sure- likely, it was due more to the magical enhancement than anything. His body pivoted forward, scythe extended onto the Mothula. It attempted to avoid, but its wings were too hampered by the previous blow- it could not move up or back to avoid Rika's blow.

    The Kokiri practically bullrushed the Mothula, colliding with it and slamming it to the ground, the full force of his weight on his scythe's tip. The colossal moth crashed to the ground, penetrated through with the long polearm, and it squirmed in place helplessly, but there was little it could do except wait to die. Rika instantly collapsed off its body next to it. There, the Kokiri lay dormant, the Mothula impaled dead with his scythe. He had won.

    At least, his fight with Mothula. The vine on its back rolled out from underneath and untangled to reveal the snarling, twisting parasite hovering over Rika's still body. He was conscious, but it would be a wonder if he could move. Hovering over his body, the parasite revealed gaping, jaded fangs and prepared to bite down on the prone, immobile Kokiri. So, he did the only thing he could do without being able to move. A violent orb of flames rocketed from his mouth into the threatening jaws of the parasite, sending it flying back and setting it alight.

    Rika could not move, but he could hear its vile cries that would hopefully signal its defeat, though only for a moment. His hearing faded, and he could see his vision go murky with blood. He felt his skin clamp against bone, as if the blood had been completely drained, and his body felt as heavy as ten tons per limb. It was something he had not often experienced, but could prove fatal for any spellcaster; magic deficiency. By completely draining your body of magical power, further casting essentially tore your body apart from the inside out, and it was a level of hellish suffering few could experience. In a way, that made Rika somewhat fortunate about his predicament- he was in such a horrid state already, he could almost not even feel it. Normally, it would be something he would not deal with, due to his extremely high pool of magical power, but those magic-draining moths had left him with almost none to spare, and those two casts pushed him over the edge.

    Amid what he could still see, Rika's eyes caught wind of animals- countless, wispy forest animals, almost like spirits, swirling around him. He saw deer, fox, hare, bird, and wolf alike, among others, and they all rotated around him before slowly rising to the heavens, until only the hare he had followed here remained. Was he really hallucinating at a moment like this? He hadn't really imagined a wispy rabbit was going to be his last sight. His vision began to fade, and with the shimmering, golden hare staring Rika down, so too did his consciousness.
  14. Eevachu

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    Was he dead? Or was this the process of dying, just before death? He could naught but tell the difference, but it was a negligible one, he supposed; if this were not death, he would be meeting the reaper in due time. Surely, this was not death, though; a white, barren wasteland, where Rika stood still yet felt as if he was afloat in the air, but was not falling. It was a strange sensation, but it was negligible compared to the searing weight and pain crashing onto his body, the needles shredding apart all of his internal organs, the draining tears mixed with blood oozing from every orifice, his skin dried like a prune and cracking like a desert. Ah, it was how he was just before, in the Mothula fight. Yet, though the sensations were just as great as then, they did not seem to bother him now. Why was that? Was it because he was in his mind-of-sorts- he presumed,- or was he simply content with his victory?

    That was right, his victory. While he did not confirm it, Rika was certain his final blow had slain the parasite. Why else would those spirits- who Rika, somehow, without thinking, knew them as the spirits of the animals lost to the blight that had cursed the forest- have appeared at that time? He had died, he supposed, but perhaps doing it to protect the Kokiri Forest was not so bad. Amid the pain, there was a strange contentedness he held. It was his home he had abandoned for so long. Perhaps this scourge was the forest's way of cursing him for his betrayal, for abandoning his people and his father. The Great Deku Tree. Perhaps this was his doing.

    . . . Well, if it was, Rika held no resentment. He deserved whatever The Great Deku Tree would bring upon him for his transgressions. Though he loathed them, he abandoned the Kokiri, and they were far weaker because of it. Had he err'd, leaving them so long ago?

    No. He had no regrets in doing so. The wonder he had seen, the life he lived was the best he could have. That was why he would accept this punishment with open arms- hopefully he had repaid the forest he loved, at least. Had he really saved it, though? Perhaps that accursed parasite was the cause of those evils, but it could not have been alone- were it acting by itself for so long, it would have spread like a rash and infected every corner of the Kokiri Forest. Had he really saved the forest?

    . . . Well, he had done his part. Useless though they were, if the forest were to meet more struggles, the other Kokiri would have to rise in his place. After all, though he was back now, he would not remain forever- it was impossible for him to.

    Rika glanced up at the empty whiteness around him. Were this really death, it was a cruel joke planted by the goddesses. Was he really to remain here forever, unable to move or act, suffering in the state moments before his death before all eternity? He thought of the countless creatures who's lives he had taken over the years. Did they too suffer this fate, with forever gouged wounds, standing in endlessly draining puddles of their own blood? Would this go on until they died again? What would happen then?

    . . . Well, Rika cared little were that the case. He held no sympathy for the lives he had taken, just as he had accepted his own downfall. Was he really to die here, though? There was still so much he wished to explore, to experience- he had taken his own life, the certainty of his life, for granted. Perhaps that was normal for one without a ticking clock, though- for those with limited lifespans, their short lives were sad, but perhaps that drove them to value it.

    Rika looked up again. The green and yellow plague oozing out of his body spilled outward and into the white scenery, painting it with its hues to form green, grassy plains decorated with fallen, yellow leaves.

    And what of the Kokiri? He knew they needed to become self-reliant, but that was little more than a dream that would never happen. They relied far too heavily on the protection of The Great Deku Tree, but his control was not eternal. Rika knew that well and good, with the dead Great Deku Tree he had encountered less than even a day ago. The Great Deku Tree, powerful as he may be, still dies as any other. Surely, another will come in time, but what of the interim? They failed to consider such difficult topics. That was why he would have to ensure their safety- not that that was possible anymore.

    Rika looked up again. The blood pooling out of every opening it could and at his feet ran down across the greenery. Some rose, forming brown trees with leaves of various hues- some red or brown, like the blood, while some picked up the green and yellow leaves that had scattered. Some of the blood ran further, forming small, rushing crimson streams or creeks.

    Wollo would probably be fine. The Octorok clung to Rika like he was its land life-preserver, and Wollo would certainly be sad. Rika knew that he would be safe, though- Wollo had no issue making new friends, and if there was one thing Rika could trust another Kokiri over, it was their affection towards animals. It would only be a matter of time before another Kokiri found the Octorok and began taking care of him. He would find a new life, a safer life from the crazy dungeon delving and monster slaying Rika usually brought him along on.

    Rika looked up again. The tears draining down his face that were once amid a river of blood rose to the sky, a clear, sunny sky shining bright upon the Kokiri. They fell into the bloodstreams, turning them clear and calm.

    What of the animal spirits he had seen, or that bunny he had encountered? There was no life left for them, spirits as they were. They sought peace, a blissful end to their torment and suffering so they could move on. Rika brought that with his exorcism of the parasite, it seemed. That was good, then. They were able to find happiness.

    Rika looked up again. The pain stabbing at the core of his body faded, spreading out and forming dozens of woodland creatures. Squirrels, deer, and birds of all sorts moved peacefully throughout the forest.

    That was how Rika wanted it. It was truly a picture-perfect painting.
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2018
  15. Eevachu

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    "Ooga booga, free and wild! Praise be the scythe-wielding child!"

    "Ooga booga, free and wild! Praise be the scythe-wielding child!"

    "Ooga booga, free and wild! Praise be the scythe-wielding child!"

    High pitched squeaks bounced against a mind that was until now deep in a trance. The stunning image he had spent his time in- perhaps his whole life, it felt,- became muddled as though watercolor, before fading entirely. It had been replaced entirely by the squeals pounding against his brain, which he could now make out to be coming from several different targets. As well, this was not a mere construction of his mind- it was something real he was receiving through his sense of hearing. It had felt as though he had become completely numb to any sense of feeling, so the newfound sound, regardless of the fact it was remarkably annoying, was overwhelming and somewhat mind-numbing. Yet, at the same time, it was incredibly relieving, and he yearned for it.

    His consciousness drifted towards the now booming sound as though he were the moths he had just slain mere moments ago. The closer he felt he became, he became aware of the stench pervading the air- foul, it seemed, but not alike the stench pervading the forest previous to his clash. It smelled of foul herbs and medicines, bitter enough to make his nose want to fall off. It was truly vile, but enough to pull him further in- they were sensations he, for some reason, longed for.

    Finally, he had reached the source of the noise. His eyes slowly creaked open like a door that was being snuck through, and his body was overwhelmed with several sensations- and more importantly, ones he lacked. First, there was not a single sense or tension of the previous pain spread across his body, as if the fight with Mothula had never even happened. Second, it felt as though he had swallowed needles, piercing both his throat and stomach alike- the Kokiri felt insatiably hungry and thirsty. Finally, his eyes caught the origin of the noise. Bulbous, plant-like creatures garbed in red and yellow leaves had circled around the Kokiri- who had realized now he was on the ground,- continuously bowing and chanting the same line repeatedly without end. His mind was scattered and dazed, but Rika knew them to be Mad Scrubs- at the very least, they were some form of Deku Scrub, and only Mad Scrubs would be so weird as to do something of this nature.

    With his eyes open, the Mad Scrubs quickly became aware of this consciousness. Their chanting stopped, and they all, for the most part, dispersed in fearful squeaks and cries. This left Rika in the presence of a single Mad Scrub, who, unlike the others, was dressed in an elaborate robe decorated with various colored robes.

    "Where. . . the hell am. . " Rika tried to speak, but his raspy voice coughed and choked violently. It was then he became fully aware of his thirst. Instantly, the Kokiri's hand rose above his head, and a small orb of water formed within his palm. With no thought on what his magic supply was at, he crushed the ball into a fist, splashing the liquid across his face and into his mouth. He could only drink portions of it, but that mattered little at the moment. He coughed and choked further at his reckless endeavor, thrusting himself upward from his previous position, spitting up the small handful of water he had actually managed to drink.

    Then, he became aware of his scenario. He was on top of a pile of leaves, and Mad Scrubs were darting every-which way across the room, endless bundles of energy that never ceased to annoy Rika. However, they were. . . inside a building? That was when he recognized it- it was the small house he had visited previously. The one he had left Lucian in. His pained, teared eyes met the Mad Scrub who had positioned himself across from Rika, who he now noticed to be wearing a massive, wooden mask which had a height equaling that of the Mad Scrub's body. When Rika's eyes met its face, it cried out once again.

    "Ooga booga, free and wild! Praise be the scythe-wielding child!" This time, however, it only let out such squeaks once, and there was yet another line following it. "The child lives yet! Praise to the skies, forest spirits, for this humble servant has given Thine will form!" Its body shook violently, its stubby wooden nubs-for-hands flying into the air.

    Rika, pained and choking, stared it down once more. Again, he attempted to speak, choking out, "What. . . the hell is happening?"
  16. Eevachu

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    While thirst still clenched at the Kokiri's throat, he had found some mild relief, but this only brought attention to the growling hunger of his belly. As if on cue, a handful of Mad Scrubs trotted into the room, dropping what appeared to be food at the Kokiri's side then darting away. Its status as food was rather questionable though- rotten looking berries, strange plants, and the guts of a couple insects splattered against a leaf. It was quite possibly one of the most unappetizing and dangerous things Rika had ever been apparently expected to eat, but the shaman-like Mad Scrub chanted at him. "Feast like the spirits, child! This is the victory feast bestowed by the greats!" If this was a feast, Rika was incredibly curious what they ate normally. Skulltula? Their own shit- did Mad Scrubs shit? Each other?

    Truthfully, Rika's body was so pained by hunger he lost interest in its quality, or even its safety or nutritional value. Shoving vile food after vile food down his throat, Rika attempted to eat it as quickly as possible to prevent even remotely tasting it. For the most part, he was successful, and soon all of the 'food' was gone. His belly sated, his mind returned to form and became aware he was missing many of his possessions- but in particular, his hat. It was then, he saw it in the distance- placed on a pedestal, numerous Mad Scrubs had surrounded the hat and prostrated themselves. That in of itself was incredibly strange, but he noticed a big difference from before- sticking out from his hat were two, long, yellow rabbit ears, something that he certainly hadn't noticed before. "What. . ." He was about to ask, but he decided it was one of the least important questions he had stirring in his brain.

    Taking a deep breath, Rika called out to the Mad Scrub shaman, who kept dancing in place. After a few attempts, he became irritated. "Hey!" He roared, causing some of the smaller Mad Scrubs to panic and flee the room in fear. "Just what the hell is going on here?! Who are you Scrubs?!" He questioned, his tone harsh and full of frustration. The Mad Scrub stopped his dance, and answered as though Rika had asked as politely as he could have possibly mustered. "Scythe-wielding child of the forest, we are humble servants acting out the will of the forest spirits, same as you- though we would never be so presumptuous to place ourselves at your level, forgive us!" He squealed, prostrating himself at the Kokiri before standing upright and continuing as if nothing had happened.

    "We are elated, as the forest spirits, generous as they are, blessed us with their divine warrior to slay the evil purging this land! Because of their generosity, we have all avoided a terrible fate, indeed!" It explained, before returning to its previous chants. Divine warrior? Avoided? Were they talking about the state of the forest? Was Rika the divine warrior they spoke of? There was nothing divine about him in the slightest- he acted not out of the forest's will, but his own. Still, though, it seemed as though he had successfully cleansed the forest of what ailed it. Yet, that raised another important question...

    "How am I alive?" He stated bluntly. He had truthfully believed he had met his end in the previous battle with the Mothula- those poisons and injuries were nothing no natural healing could cure. The Mad Scrub stated matter-of-factly, "It was the will of the spirits." Rika frowned. That was not helpful or true. "In what form?" He supposed it was not impossible for the spirits to have saved him, but that raised many questions about why he was here.

    "Through this humble vessel, the great forest spirits breathed life into you yet again! With the spirit's blessing, your poisons drained, your injuries closed. Remarkable above all else, the spirits are!" They once again began chanting praises for the forest spirits. He supposed he had to be grateful, though he was not exactly pleased to be indebted to a cult of crazy Mad Scrubs. If he was still alive, though, and they were in this building...

    "Where is Lucian?" The Mad Scrubs stopped their moves, and looked at the Kokiri confusedly.
  17. Eevachu

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    A brief silence grew, before Rika added, "the ailing Hylian that was in this cabin." The shaman scrub, apparently enlightened by this newfound information, squeaked in approval. "The man of many bloods!" Rika let out a half-sigh. "Right. I suppose." They knew of him, so it was possible he was alive and well. So Rika thought, but those hopes were swiftly silenced.

    "The man that is melding with the spirits."

    "Where is he?"

    "He rests in the space adjacent."

    Immediately, Rika attempted to push himself up, but the strength escaped him and he collapsed. The Mad Scrub spoke out toward him, "become like the tree, child of the forest. Your vessel still beckons for the spirit's purifying breath, it aches for it." Rika could feel his muscles tightening, his mind dizzying. While he was, for certain, no longer on the verge of death, his body still felt weak. It lacked energy and strength, and even standing up seemed difficult for him. Recouping his mind, his eyes shifted again toward the Mad Scrubs venerating themselves towards his newly eared hat.

    "What is happening there?" He cocked his head in their direction. "Ah, yes. They offer praise to the spirits of the forest." Rika hesitated about asking his next question, as he felt the answer would be stupid. "To my hat?"

    "Can you not see, child of the forest? The spirit of the hare has chosen to make its domain this holy hat. The child of the forest acted as the forest's warrior, and so the forest delivered unto the child of the forest its power!" He once again began chanting praises to the forest spirits, and the other Mad Scrubs prostrating themselves joined in.

    What the hell were they talking about? Forest spirits in his hat? It was certainly true that it now donned a set of long, furry ears, but that did not mean this was the work of some divine forest spirits. Though, he had been pursuing the spirit of a hare through this entire venture. That was too much of a coincidence to simply ignore. There were the countless other spirits he saw moments before he lost consciousness, what was his last memory before what seemed like eternal limbo. Rika had initially discarded those as some form of hallucination, a delusion triggered by his consciousness moments before his death, but they could possibly have been real spirits. That, at least, added credence to the Mad Scrub's worse, and that which once seemed inane now simply seemed insane. Still, that did not mean it had granted him some new power, even if it had accessorized his hat with some childish garments.

    Suddenly, mid-thought, Rika felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him, and his body almost unconsciously laid back down on the ground and drifted into a sleep.
  18. Eevachu

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    Rika's body jolted awake once more- though unlike before, where his senses were assaulted with an overwhelming craving- desire,- for nourishment, that feeling had seemingly passed. Standing near his side, unmoved as far as the Kokiri could last recall, was the Mad Scrub Shaman, though through its mask Rika could tell little about where its gaze was directed. As if he had never lost energy in the first place, Rika bounced to his feet.

    "Shaman, I have further inquiries." Rika demanded, though as he stood up he realized something alarming- he was positively filthy. While Rika was not the most hygienic- and his current company likely failed to even take notice-, the dirt, dried blood, and other assortment of goods staining his body was enough to revolt even the Kokiri.

    ". . .Where may I go to bathe?" He inquired, though their familiarity with that word had yet to be proven. With the state of the forest as it was, finding a suitable source of water could prove difficult- if he couldn't, he would have to resort to his back-up; washing his body with Aqua Grenade after Aqua Grenade. While it would eventually accomplish a similar effect, it would take a considerable amount of time, so he hoped they would have something.

    "Bathe?" The shaman queried. "Ah, yes. Trail the guidance of the spirits, child of the forest. I shall lead you to the belly of the deer."

    Rika had absolutely no idea what he was referring to- hopefully he was not expected to bathe in an actual deer's belly,- but he had no time to question every inane phrase the Mad Scrub muttered, else he would get nowhere. Without another word, he began following the shaman out of the small house.

    Seeing the outside just solidified to Rika of their total victory. Though some trees were willowed, shrunken and grey like old prunes, the overall scenario had vastly changed, just like when they had slain the parasite in the Great Deku Tree carcass- grass and bush hedges rose from the grounds, trees shed leaves hiding small woodland creatures, and clear rays of sun pierced brightly through, assaulting Rika's sensitive, naked eyes which had become greatly accustomed to dim light over the past handful of days. The miasmic puddles of purple ooze and the deep, swamp-like pits and haze permeating the area had all but faded completely. Though it was far from perfect, and he had even witnessed a similar effect on a smaller scale, it was hard to believe such a drastic change occurred in but a couple of days, at most. Was the rest of the forest like this?

    After a few moments of trekking- which gave Rika ample time to stretch his legs and become accustomed to moving around again,- the pair eventually reached their destination. A small pond, nestled within the forest, the water clear and transparent. Small streams extended outward from the pond into various directions throughout the forest- some streams heading toward the pond, others the opposite. Ah, by belly of the deer, he was referring to the pond- interesting way to describe it, at least.

    Thus, without a word, Rika began to undress to bathe- then he paused once he saw the shaman scrub was standing there, wordlessly. "So, are you just going to watch?" The shaman plainly stated, "The child of the forest has been blessed by the spirits of the forest- thus, as a servant of the great spirits of the forest, all actions the child of the forest performs are a blessing." Rika rolled his eyes. He honestly cared little if the Mad Scrub was there or not- after all, the Kokiri could return on his own,- but the whole spirits thing was getting a little absurd, even if there was some merit to it. Shrugging, Rika returned to his bathing activities.

    Mid-bathe, Rika called attention to the shaman. "Since you are going to be here anyway," Rika turned to face him, not stopping what he was doing, "I have questions." Without waiting for a reply, Rika asked his first question. "Where is Lucian?" He stated, before clarifying, "Rather, what I mean to say is- what did you mean, earlier?"

    "He will soon join the spirits of the forest, and serve them in his purest form."
    "Then, is he dead?"
    "He lives yet, but his time is near."
    Rika frowned. "Then, can you not heal him? The injuries inflicted upon me were far more severe, yet here I stand, just as well as before I stepped forth into the forest."
    "I cannot do anything, child of the forest. It is the spirits of the forest who bestowed the gift of life unto you, and their life does not come to all- they willed me to heal you, so as their humble vessel I merely followed their guiding hand using the power graciously granted."
    What a lame excuse. "Then, there is nothing you can do?"
    "Fret not, child of the forest. We have employed the physical gifts granted to us by the great spirits of the forest- though, it shames me to say, but us mere followers are not worthy of even that benevolence. We can only sustain him- saving him is beyond our capabilities."
    Rika frowned again. He could easily heal him if he wanted, but Rika had a feeling this scrub would rather die than supposedly betray the 'spirits of the forest', as he so zealously kept referring to.

    Having cleansed his body, Rika made his way towards cleaning his clothes- much harder to do with mere lake water, but it would prove better than dawning old, bloodstained, dirtied cloth.

    "Then, what of the forest? While not completely healed, I am amazed by the amount of recovery in but a couple of days- I mean, even this pond, free of impurities despite being connected throughout the forest is nothing short of incredible. Is it truly as cleansed as it seems?" Rika hoped that last line would not prompt a reference to the spirits.
    "Ah, yes. As I said, the spirits of the forest are truly all-encompassing." Rika would have to choose his words more carefully. "But, child of the forest," the shaman scrub clarified, "there is one mistake in your words, wise and blessed though you are." Oh? "It has not been two moons since the collapse, but twenty." Twenty moons. . . ? Rika paused for a moment, before the grim realization of its meaning dawned on him.

    "Twenty days?!" His voice boomed. "I thought I was asleep for two days! Now you're saying I was comatose for three weeks? Absurd, I would have perished!" The shaman was quick to correct him. "That was due to the effects of the magic bestowed upon you. I am but a humble being, so all-powerful magics are beyond what I am worthy of- healing of my low potential requires considerable time."

    "Then," Rika added, "what of the forest? Do blackened spots remain yet?"

    "The area tainted by the evil your will slew has been blessed once more," He explained, "but, sections further north lay doubly worse."

    ". . . What?" Rika did not understand what he was saying.

    "It seems this was but a precursor, child of the forest- strong spirits of darkness, perhaps ones even rivaling the spirits of the forest, have erected a vile tower of evil. It has tainted the forest far worse than what you have seen now, including the Kokiri Village, and drives my kind mad. Ganon's foul monsters run amok as well- his evils are the likely source of this calamity, as the only evil capable of striking against the spirits of the forest. It is why my tribe fled south, and then we were commanded by the spirits of the forest to come to your aid."

    Rika was aghast. "The. . . village?" He had been there no more than what felt like a few moments ago, even if the reality was more than half-a-month. Did the forest look like how this one did now? Was his home destroyed, ravaged, now filled with evil creatures who lived to cause pain, spread suffering, and end lives? . . . Would the Great Deku Tree become like that of the corpse he had found, if left untouched? What if that were already the case?

    . . . There were no doubts in Rika's mind to what he had to do. Cleaning finished, Rika ordered the shaman, "We will return to the house at once." With that, he stormed off back to what was now their abode, urgency in his steps.

    Upon his return, he commanded two things to the shaman chieftain. "There are three things that must be accomplished as immediately as possible. First, have someone see to drying my clothes; second, I know not where they are, but gather all of my belongings and bring them to me; third, bring me to Lucian." The shaman simply responded, "If the child of the forest wills it, it is my honor to see it through. Follow me, to the man of many bloods."

    . . .

    Rika was not sure what to expect. He had seen many a men on the brink of death, but that was typically due to a mortal wound, their last breaths spent clutching their most important last words to their loved ones from afar, or their feared pleas to the goddesses, or whatever one might say; an honorable death, as many would consider, though to Rika any death was a fool's death- battle made no difference to the result. Still, though, a death where disease eats at your body, destroys your mind before your soul, and leaves you an nonfunctional husk only alive on technicality? That was something Rika could not imagine, a true horrific death.

    Lucian's body lay motionless on a bed. His body was as gritted in mud and dirt as Rika was previously, and his skin had odd assortments of yellow and purple- thankfully, his eyes lay shut, as Rika could only imagine the horrific view they'd gaze back. If it weren't for the lack of the putrid smell corpses tended to bring, Rika would have sworn he had already perished- though the smell of an uncleaned body was still not particularly pleasant. "Leave us alone." Was all Rika said, before shutting the door behind him.

    He approached the body, biting through the smell, and brought himself to his knees to become more level with the resting Hylian. This was not an experience Rika had much dealt with- typically, the allies he made were the ones that perished after one of their encounters together, on other foolhardy quests. While he had not known Lucian for long, and perhaps he would not even call him a friend, they had accomplished something great together.

    ". . . You know, whether you live or die, it does not upset me in the slightest." Rika laughed- what the hell was that to say first? He was speaking his mind, as he was prone to do, but someone overhearing would likely be aghast that he would say that to a final man. ". . .But, that does not mean I wish for you to die. This forest. . . is my home, Lucian." Rika paused to consider his next words- it was not exactly his strong suit, after all. "And with your help, we were able to rid it of an evil threatening all life in it. The two of us nearly perished, and, well. . . it is likely you will."

    What was likely is Lucian could not even hear Rika- he had been comatose for quite some time, his mind was likely dead. ". . . Without you, I would have perished." What was he saying? Was this some sort of remorse he felt over Lucian's fate? Guilt that he could not have saved him? "I. . . am not exactly good at saying this, but I will try. Thank you, Lucian." He paused for a moment. What more was there to say?

    "I. . . want to try to save you." A lie. Rika knew there was no saving him- even if the body were cured, his mind was long gone. Even top healers would struggle. "But our fight is not over. A greater evil, the one that threatens all of Hyrule- Ganon himself- has seemingly laid eyes on the forest, and further north, an even more horrific monster awaits." Rika paused. "I. . . I need to go, Lucian. I have to save my home. My. . ."

    . . .

    ". . . " A loss for words. "You know, other Kokiri and I, you could say we. . . do not agree. They have no one to defend them, though- they will die on their own, that much is certain. So. . ." How was he supposed to say this? "I have to- no, I want to go, to save my home- no, my. . . my people. My family. Without me, they will die, that is certain." Yet, without him here, any minuscule chance Lucian had of surviving would fade away. "But, I will return, do not doubt me. Until then, do not die, Lucian."

    "Then, I will rescue you from your suffering." Was all Rika could think.

    Bringing himself to his feet, Rika stared at the Hylian for a few moments. This was a different feeling he held. Ending a life with blade or spell drew nothing from the Kokiri, nor did seeing life perish before him in general. But this, this was different. It was an ally, on his death's door, only it was locked and Rika held the key. Yet, he was intentionally withholding the key for his own selfish goals. Perhaps he wanted to wait, so he could come back and tell Lucian that they were successful, so the Hylian could leave knowing he had died for an important cause. Rika knew not how to justify it- all he knew was this Hylian would soon be no more.

    With one final deep breath, Rika turned, departed, and shut the door. "Shaman, I have two final requests. First, sustain the Hylian as much as you are able. Clean him to the best of your ability, as well- the man does not deserve to be in that state. Secondly, I will soon depart, and will return after I have slain Ganon's curse pervading this forest; until that time, do not leave this location.

    "As the child of the forest wills." He responded, before stepping away- presumably to inform lesser scrubs of the task.

    . . .
    . . .
    . . .

    Rika was ready. His gear was equipped, his blades- at least the ones he still had after the previous debacle- cleaned and sharpened with the tools available, and his clothes dried and donned- well, all except for his hat.

    It seemed as though the Mad Scrubs had begun surrounding the hat with rituals- odd-shaped berries of various colors, ornately patterned leaves, all sorts of what Rika would consider mundane forest objects were spread around the hat. "Nice ritual, but I am leaving, so I will be needing that hat."

    The shaman scrub, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, interjected. "No no, child of the spirit! Please accept the earnest apologies from this un-notable servant of the forest, but I cannot allow you to disturb the ritual! This is the beginning of our three-day ritual offering to the spirits of the forest, so that they may see the loyalty of those that enact their will and be emboldened in their fight against Ganon!"

    While Rika could certainly appreciate the support, he was positively sure that a handful of berries and leaves would do absolutely nothing to halt Ganon's assault even one step. Still, he would simply be wasting time arguing with them, and it did not seem like they would budge easily. Taking the hat by force would cause several issues, and most importantly compromise his position he held over them and access to both Lucian and the house. Waiting was not an option, either- Rika knew little to nothing about the current state of the village, so even one additional day could completely change things, much less three. The hat was not exactly important to his mission, anyway- while he liked it, it was simply a hat. Plus, he was not yet sure how keen he was of the bunny that had decided to begin using his head as a nest. He would be returning, and the hat was important to them- it would be there upon his return. Unfortunate for Rika, that he had yet to realize the powerful, innate power lying within that very same hat the hare gifted, his very own blessing bestowed by the 'spirits of the forest'.

    It was a sacrifice he could make, for the moment. His mind made up, Rika had only one course to take now. With his feet out the house and back in the trees, his sights were set back for his home, the Kokiri Village.
  19. Cloud

    Cloud friend admin

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    Lucian, as far as he was aware, was in a place familiar, but not quite so. A traditionally all-female Cavalry unit had just opened for males as well-- and this was at the beginning of his training.

    Females rode around him on horses... but they were nude. Or something like it, at least. They chatted and-- if we're being honest-- chided him a bit, for being the first male in their unit. Something like, "Oh, he just wants to see our naked bodies," was a rumour he was aware of. But he didn't. He was trying to truly and goodly earn his title as a Cavalier, which meant respect.

    Respect. That was something he'd never cared for before, so why was it that this ideal was held? It didn't matter, he'd decided. What was most important was earning some respect.

    Fast forward. Or maybe skip. He was cuddling up to an egg-- probably assigned by my instructors, he thought, as he cuddled closer to it. Gotta keep it safe. Protected. As he thought this, the scenery changed. But not in a way that seemed obvious to him-- or to anyone.

    He was aboard... a spaceship. It seemed like humanity had evolved as such. But where were the Rito, the Zora, the Gorons? He seemed confused. As he tried to speak, he couldn't. Then, he realized he was in a bed... while apparently lacking the ability to speak. Letters, he'd figured, floated around him, entrancing him. It wasn't written Hylian. Or even an older language, he thought. This was just how far humanity had progressed. It scared him.

    Then, he was enraptured in a world of tiny creatures. Well, most were tinier than them. There was only one race here: Hylians. Or humans. Depends on which system of methods one chose to apply here, but he was certain they knew themselves only as humans.

    He was... working. For some criminal organization, too, it seemed. A big, red, 'R' was written on a pitch black uniform he wore. Or maybe it wasn't a big 'R', but a smaller one emblazoned right above the suit he was wearing. It didn't matter. He knew his boss, Giovanni, relatively well, on account of apparently dating his daughter, Morgan. He'd risen through the ranks at an accelerated pace (compared to other grunts). Apparently, others were, uh... A bit jealous, it seemed. But no one bothered to do anything about it-- knowing they'd catch major flak. 'Flak' being tortured, or outright killed. He was somewhere-- maybe a club, a golf course-- it didn't matter. Not to him, at least. What mattered was Morgan and his love for her.

    Or so it seemed. As he lay comatose, several Mad Scrub shamans looked over him. "He isn't waking up," one of them uttered. "Maybe you did something wrong?"

    "No, you must have done something wrong," one of them replied. "That's the most logical conclusion, at least."

    "Enough, both of you," the final one replied. "The fact that he's not waking up is simply because... he's too sick. Lest we find someone with the Life spell out here, there's no way he's waking up. No way he can. But, regardless, we'll leave him dreaming for a few more hours. Then..." He made a motion around his neck. A motion that meant killing him.
  20. Eevachu

    Eevachu Admin admin

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    . . .

    . . .

    . . .

    Pushing ahead past a tree, Rika's eyes caught wind of a cottage- a very familiar one. It had only been a few days since he was last here, but with everything that had happened in those days, it felt like an eternity. Still, though, with his sense of navigation, there was no way he wouldn't be able to find his way back here. Still, even with all of the things he had accomplished in the past few days- brush after brush with death, from fending off Moblin forces raiding his village, to coming to terms with Kokiri he had hated for so long, and finally scaling the colossal tower known as Skyreach and slaying the goliath parasite lying at the top,- there was still yet one thing he had yet to resolve, and it was here. It was funny- though their origins seemed to be completely unconnected, the parasitic being he faced here and the one encountered in Skyreach shared a handful of similarities. Nothing more than a coincidence, as Rika was concerned, though.

    He began to approach the house, and a Mad Scrub lingering outside spotted him- it jumped up, alerted, before cowering inside. A sure sign the tribe of shamans lingered yet. Without any hesitation, he made his way in, but just as he entered and before he could even call for the shaman leader, Rika found him standing in his presence.

    "Child of the forest, you return! The spirits of the forest have guided you to victory." He proclaimed, though Rika somewhat drowned it out. "The colossal tower is no more- Ganon's evils have been rid from this forest, but unlike here, where it immediately cleared, its damages still linger yet." Rika immediately changed topic. "Where is Lucian?" The shaman leader immediately seemed to tense up.

    "W-Well, you see c-child of the forest. . ." Rika glared at him. "Speak." The shaman squealed, "the man of many bloods, he j-joined the spirits of-" He was swiftly interrupted. "Tell me, shaman. Did you not speak of doing everything to prevent his death? Then tell me, how did he perish? With the power used to save me, could you have not saved him? Drop the spirit facade." Rika spat out.

    "V-very well. I cannot lie to the child of the forest. . ." His body quivered as he explained, "The man of many bloods. . . his condition was not one he could recover from. Thus, some fellow tribe members saw it fit to. . . put him out of his misery."

    "What?" Rika barked. "You mean you killed him?" The shaman did not speak.

    Rika was at a loss for words. On one hand, he could not criticize their actions- they acted to ease his pain, and Rika was going to do the same. Still, though, this was Rika's situation to resolve- it was his responsibility to end Lucian's life. After all, it was his fault Lucian was in that situation- if he had not fell against the parasite, Lucian could have gotten treatment in time, and if he had not left to the Kokiri Village, perhaps Rika could have saved him together with the Mad Scrubs. However, in the case of the Mad Scrubs, it was nothing more than murder, regardless of motive. His line of thinking was interrupted by the shaman's words.

    "Yet, we offer repentance, child of the forest." Three Mad Scrubs, all holding one long strand of rope in their hand, came waddling forward, another Mad Scrub wrapped tightly in the rope and pulled begrudgingly along against his will. "This is the perpetrator who took the life of the man of many bloods. We offer his life to you in exchange for forgiveness!" The shaman bowed deeply, as did every other Mad Scrub in the room. Rika drew his scythe, and leveled it towards the cowering, quivering Mad Scrub tied and unmoving.

    "Tell me. After you took his life, what did you do with his body? Did you dispose of it?" The Mad Scrub, though it took some time, managed to squeak out his words. "W-We removed his belongings. . . then gave him a proper ritual burial. . . " Following those words, it stood in silence, ready to accept its fate.

    "I will not take your life." Rika calmly replied, much to the shocking squeal of the Mad Scrub. His scythe instead turned towards the shaman leader. "It is your life that should be taken."

    "B-But why, child of the forest?!" The shaman leader pleaded.

    "I ordered you to ensure his life was kept safe. An accident is another matter, but your subordinate took his life- that is the fault not of him, but of you as the leader. Therefore, it is you should pay the price."

    The shaman leader began shaking in fear, but Rika's next words were quick to dispel that fear. "But I will not take your life either. Failure though you may have been, the forest is still in a state of chaos. It will need the support of your tribe well."

    "Oh, truly?! Blessed be the generosity of the child of the forest!" The shaman began chanting, but Rika's scythe nearing his snout put an end to that. He hated that most of all. "Listen to me and listen well, shaman. Your tribe is to proceed north to the Kokiri Village, and put all efforts into providing relief and attending to wounded. Fear not the maddening spell cursing your kind- it has since been dispelled. And forsake this belief that your magic can only be used as the spirits seem to will you to- the forest is in a great state of distress, and the spirits of the forest will help all who reside here." Rika commanded, lowering his scythe blade.

    "If you understand, guide me to Lucian's goods." The shaman, somewhat more withdrawn than before, replied, ". . . If the child of the forest states it, then it must be a message from the spirits themselves. I understand, child of the forest." Rika was sick of hearing that phrase, but regardless, was lead towards Lucian's remaining goods- his armor and weapons, and three small sacks- one containing bombs, the other scent seeds, and the last a handful of rupees. Both the bombs and seeds were something Lucian employed several times- they were useful tools of his, to be sure. Rika would be sure to carry them forward with him. Plus, they were useful goods in their own right. Rika dropped the three sacks inside his larger Adventurer's Pouch, before exiting the room leaving his equipment there.

    There were two more matters to address here. First, that of the tome he had found previously- that referencing the Cult of Evarsi. He found it resting on a nearby table- lifting it up, Rika would take the tome with him to read later. Strangely, underneath the tome was a small, seemingly broken, gem-like object; clearly recognizable as half of a kinstone piece. Rika would be sure to keep that in mind for later, and so he pocketed it. There were no other books of interest to him.

    Finally, was the matter of Rika's hat. It had only been a scant few days, but his head felt vacant and empty without its constant presence, like someone who always wore glasses trying contacts for the first time. Piles upon piles of fruits, leaves, vegetation, and other assorted knickknacks circles the hat, almost completely obscuring it from view- but Rika could still see the newly fashioned yellow rabbit ears sprouting from its top. For a moment, Rika considered if he really wanted to wear it, what with its new accessory, but it would serve better than nothing for the moment. Stomping over with little concern for whether the Mad Scrubs would stop him, Rika plucked the hat up from its resting spot and placed it on his head.

    Immediately, a surge of energy rushed into the Kokiri. He felt like he was bouncing through the forest, from bush to bush, agile as could be. His body felt lighter, his feet swifter, it was an incredible feeling. In his mind, he could see the image of a yellow bunny running in circles, and his mind instantly shot back to the hare he had been following the entire trek with Lucian. Did it have something to do with this? Rika had no way of knowing for sure, but it seemed likely. Either way, this hat was clearly more than just a magical item. The way it made Rika feel, it was almost like it was now alive, and sharing that very life with him. It was like a one-of-a-kind artifact.

    He would keep it, then. He had little more time to linger here, as there were many things for him to attend to back at the village- not that he wanted to, anyway. "I am departing back to Kokiri Village. Do not forget my words." He called out to the Shaman Mad Scrubs, darting out of the building before they could start chanting at him once more. It was back to the village for him- hopefully Nicholas had not punched anything to rubble in his absence.

    It seemed as though this chapter of the terrorizing evil pervading the Kokiri Forest had ended, though. Had it, though. . . ? Rika could not help but feel something unsettling, like things were not truly over. The Cult of Evarsi bothered him, certainly, and it was something he would have to research further. But yet, there was just something. . . that felt off to him. Hopefully that was just a feeling, and dark evils were not still at work to corrupt the Kokiri Forest. His Kokiri Forest.