Mermaid's Cave [BP/Darth]

"Alright." This mechanism was new to Triton. Not in its entirety, of course; he had read about crystals with enchanted properties, which could alter the reality around them by the simple courtesy of being impacted with just about anything. However, filling in bottomless pits and creating new ones within a few seconds' time was a feat he had not expected to see. He followed behind Judith, keeping an eye on the ceiling and on the passage they had just come through. He wasn't comfortable with the Wizzrobes from before still being very much alive...

As he did so, however, he decided to start thinking about the compensation the Cult of Nayru had offered him for his trouble. "Sister," he said, "I must ask you something. It hasn't escaped my notice that your spells appear to recharge quite quickly. Or rather," he corrected himself, "Your mind and body appear to recover quickly from the specific strain of casting a particular spell, allowing you to use them again more swiftly than a normal mage. Might I ask what, if any, special measures you undertake to achieve this?"

Coming to a halt as she reached the corner she'd designated earlier, Judith shot a curious glance at Triton, perplexed by his words. Come to think of it, the intervals between his castings of an individual spell had been rather long, hadn't they? Odd... Learning to minimize spell cycles, as her mentors in the Cult had termed the recovery period, was an essential skill for a combat mage. That Triton should be unaware of any mitigation techniques... It seemed like a glaring flaw for an otherwise intelligent and capable wizard to possess. Was he self-taught, perhaps? Judith mulled it over for a bit before responding.

"Well, as you know, every member of the Cult of Nayru is expected to display a certain level of competence with magic. To this end, all of our initiates are put through a strict regimen of meditation that teaches them to better focus their inner energies." She recalled her own training- the unrelenting repetition had honed her mind, body, and soul. "But for those with experience in the art of sorcery, the basics of these exercises should be simple enough to grasp. The first step is to regulate your breathing, control it. Breathe deeply, yet calmly," Judith explained, gesturing to the rise and fall of her own chest as she demonstrated. She could see how a Zora might have difficulty with this procedure, their natural amphibiousness interfering with the respiratory process. "By attaining mastery over your body, you will come to understand its limits. Next, you must become one with your magic. Let it flow through your limbs. Direct, rather than demand. Because your power originates from within you, it cannot be used to its full potential so long as you treat it as separate from yourself. The trick is not to expand your magical reserves, but to spend them as efficiently as possible... Like so."

Taking aim with her staff, Judith tried to model her technique for her companion. Assuming a stable stance, she inhaled sharply, then fired off an arcane bolt at the crystal switch. As she had predicted, the switch became blue once more upon being struck, and when the floor pattern had rearranged itself, she saw that they had a clear path to the exit.

"As you can see... No hesitation, no strain." She was about to ask if he needed any clarification when a thought suddenly occurred to her, one that would solve the Zora's problem without any effort on his part. "There... is another way, however. It is a temporary solution, but a potent one." Judith murmured, returning her staff to her sash and clasping her hands together. "I will perform the Cult's holiest melody for you. Please, listen."

Without allowing Triton to protest or even reply, Judith abruptly began to sing the religious hymn known as Nayru's Wisdom. She sang softly, so as not to not to attract undue attention, but with confidence. After all, this was probably the most defensible room in the whole shrine; the pitfalls would see to that. Though the priestess had never fancied herself as much of a vocalist, she had received formal instruction as part of her initiation and could thus carry a tune fairly well. She was particularly adept at this very song, for it was often sung at Cult functions. Her own voice sounded distant to her, as if Mother Nayru was investing the lyrics with Her divine power.

When at last she had finished, Judith fell silent and lowered her head in reverence. "Ah... There. For a few minutes, your magic should be amplified, Sir Triton. As a priestess of Nayru, I may sing this melody as often as I like, but my Goddess' intervention should not be invoked lightly. Of course, I must perform it in its entirety to reap the full benefits, and it is not very practical to do so in combat. I have no desire to extend the blessings of Nayru to our enemies." Slowly, Judith lifted her gaze to meet Triton's, blushing slightly out of self-consciousness.

"Do... Do you feel any different?"

Meditation, huh? Triton had never been one for much of that. He had learnt his magic from scrolls and tomes, as well as experimentation, and his natural talent at it had mitigated the need for a formal tutor. Between and even amongst races, there were multiple ways to learn or teach magic, and Triton knew well that none were inherently better or worse than others. He himself had no focus, being equally happy to study offense, defense, and utility. His understanding, however, was that the Cult of Nayru had a focus on defensive and supportive magic. In which case, a program of mastery through meditation made sense. He might have to give it a go sometime, if it made magic so much more efficient. Of course, that did presume one thing...

When Judith started singing, he felt his mind clearing and found that he could sense and trace the magic in the air more easily, the air shimmering with it as were it a visible current. He felt the strong urge to reach out and grab it, mould it, like he would at any other time. But there was no cause other than idle curiosity, and if it didn't work, he didn't want to be caught unaware with a spell less at his disposal. "I do, actually," he replied to Judith. "A few minutes, you said, right?" He almost hoped they would run into the Wizrobes or other monsters, just so that he could experiment with his now-enhanced magic.

"Yes, the duration of the effect is only a few minutes, I'm afraid. We shouldn't dawdle, Triton. I do not relish the idea of wasting a blessing of Mother Nayru, nor should we stay in one place for too long with so many enemies about. Shall we?" With that, Judith led her companion to the exit, her desire for haste tempered by the presence of the chasm. Though she had solved the room's riddle, it was still unnerving knowing that every footfall could potentially lead to oblivion, should the central switch somehow malfunction. By the time they safely arrived at their destination, Judith was ready to put the pit-laden room behind her for good, certain that they had overcome the strangest of the challenges the Mermaid's Cave had to offer.

What greeted her in the adjoining chamber, however, immediately challenged that assumption.

A large square area lay before her, the walls lined with torches and a lone door waiting for them at the other end of the chamber. Given the otherwise unremarkable arrangement of the room, Judith's attentions were quickly drawn to the three massive candles that stood between her and the door, each roughly half her height. Stood was an appropriate word: Upon further inspection, the priestess noticed that the body of each candle appeared to be supported by a pair of stubby wooden feet. This in itself would have been unusual, but as the candles swiveled around to reveal that they had faces, Judith could only watch, utterly stupefied, as they slowly began to advance on her and Triton.

What manner of obstacle was this?! Who would employ magically animated candles as guards?! Their wicks weren't even lit, so they couldn't be used as a light source... The very notion of being beset by murderous candles defied all logic, yet the fact that that was precisely what was happening to her seemed indicative of insanity... Whether hers or their creator's, she wasn't sure. It didn't help that the candles' countenances were disturbingly childlike, their eyes wide and their mouths agape, permanently set in an expression of juvenile amazement. Were they not so baffling, Judith would have found them almost cute.

"Um... T-Triton... What... what are they?"

"I... don't know." Triton spoke truly; he had never seen the bizarre, living candles before, nor read anything about them or creatures resembling them. If they were indeed creatures; they might as well have been objects animated by magic. "Perhaps there is a connection with the sentient braziers from before," he mused, raising a hand. "Let me try something." He conjured up a fireball and sent it flying towards one of the candles. He didn't know what he hoped to achieve by doing so, other than testing the effects of the blessing of Nayru. He did feel the strain on himself being greatly reduced, although it was not entirely gone. Perhaps the blessing only mitigated up to a certain level, and he would have to do the rest, himself. "I am impressed," he began. "The Fire spell is innate to most Zora, but even so I-"

The candle he had lit started to run and bounce across the room as were it possessed, so Triton hurried to place himself between it and Judith. Using Nayru's Affection to keep it from bounding into them, he looked in consternation as it collided with a nearby wall and exploded. To his horror, the explosion had ignited the two others, which had stood nearby it. "Sister Judith... please be ready with your own shields, if you have any. We might need them..."

As a priestess, Judith expected that she would have to risk her life in service to her Goddess and the people of Hyrule. It was a frightening prospect, but a realistic one, and she had long ago made peace with that fact despite her youth. Moblins, Darknuts, the undead... She would face them all without hesitation, if need be.

But this... Judith wasn't sure ANYONE could be prepared for foes like these. Using exploding, baby-faced candles as suicide troops? As much as it disgusted her to admit it, the fiendish mind that had devised these constructs was a brilliant- though obviously deranged- one. The seemingly innocent demeanours of the candles could have a devastating effect on a fighting force's morale... Assuming said fighting force survived the subsequent detonations.

Of course, there was no time to further consider the tactical application of such strange beings, as the remaining two candles were lit by the first's fiery demise. Stepping back to put some distance between her and the now-berserk tapers, Judith noted, rather despairingly, that they seemed to be speeding up with each passing second as they cavorted madly throughout the room, bumping into corners and one another before launching themselves in a different direction. How were she and Triton to diffuse this surreal situation?

She supposed Triton's suggestion of using barriers to keep them at bay until they exploded was a possible approach... However, the candles' makeup was probably highly unstable; there was no telling what would set them off or how large the blast radius of the ensuing explosion would be. It would require incredibly precise timing to deflect them with Nayru's Affection... And what if the mere impact caused the candles to detonate just as the barrier shattered? No, it would be best to deal with these particular foes at range.

No sooner had she finished the thought than one of the candles, abruptly and without warning, shifted its trajectory, charging toward her with reckless abandon. Judith quickly sidestepped to avoid it, but the movement proved unnecessary as the candle rushed straight past her, careening headlong into the wall behind the clergywoman. The resulting boom was deafeningly loud and accompanied by a shower of unwelcome projectiles: Several globules of white-hot wax had been expelled from the charred remains of the candle by the kinetic force of the blast, in a manner not unlike a volcanic eruption. By the time Judith started to react to this new hazard, it was already too late.

Before she could dodge away, one of the molten gobs landed directly on her left arm, burning the exposed skin underneath. Screaming in agony, Judith tried to shake it off, but the damage was done. Falling to her knees and fighting against the tears that threatened to blur her vision, she looked up to see the last candle barreling down on her. Summoning all her strength, she raised her staff and fired a magic bolt at the oncoming creature, knocking it backwards and off its feet. Thus spent, she felt her grip on the wooden implement slacken, and it clattered to the floor as she desperately reached for her canteen to try and treat her wound. She didn't even notice whether or not the final candle had been properly dispatched... The pain was simply too overwhelming, like nothing she'd ever felt before, and it was all she could do to keep from passing out.

When the last candle exploded into bits and bots of fire and death, Triton's reflex was to pull up his electric barrier. It drained the momentum from the particles and made them drop to the floor around him harmlessly, the barrier lasting just long enough to protect him. With the strange candle monsters now gone, he could safely drop it and look around the room- only to see his companion crumpled on the floor, having dropped her staff. "Sister Judith!" he called, running over to her to see what had gotten to her. He could guess -it was the very reason he had pulled his barrier up earlier- but if it was something else, he had to know.

He snatched the canteen from her hands and supported her, placing a hand between her shoulderblades. He winced as he saw the large burn mark on her arm. The Zora shared a crippling weakness to fire- it melted the thin, protective film that made them so dynamic in the water and scorched its way through their scales. Just seeing her burn made his own arm itch. "Hold on, let me cool it." He set down her canteen and kept his hand about a foot away from her arm, before summoning a gust of cold air. Normally, it would freeze her arm solid, but only the very end of the cold air touched her skin, providing more cooling than the water in the canteen would have.

"Ah... Ow..."

Sweet relief engulfed Judith as Triton cast his frigid spell upon her to treat the burn. Even through her tears, she was able to admire his precision in directing the bulk of the icy gale away from her arm, providing the maximum possible coolness without freezing the limb entirely. Shutting her eyes and thinking of Mother Nayru, she let the Zora work his magic.

It still stung by the time he had finished administering his arcane medication, and an ugly red blister had formed where she'd been hit, but Triton's quick reaction had spared her the possibility of more extensive, potentially crippling damage to her arm. That would suffice for now, and she was grateful for her companion's aid. Further healing could wait until she reported back to her Sisters in Castle-Town.

After taking a few moments to compose herself, Judith collected her staff and rose to her feet, then flashed Triton a small, apologetic smile.

"Th-Thank you, Sir Triton. I... I'm sorry you had to see that. That was my first real wound in the line of duty... and while some warriors wear their scars with pride, I do not. I was careless." Seeing that the final candle had been destroyed by her last-ditch effort, she scanned Triton's body for any signs of similar injury. She saw nothing of the sort, but it couldn't hurt to ask. It was the least she could do as a priestess to return the favour.

"Oh! Forgive me for being a burden. Are you alright? Do you have any injuries?"

"There we are," Triton muttered as he let the spell die out. Sister Judith was still a little shaky, but she was definitely out of danger and she could stand up. He got back to his feet himself, inspecting himself for injuries as she asked if he was alright. "A bit rattled, perhaps," he admitted; he was as confused and puzzled by the candles as she had been, after all. "But I think I managed to deflect or electrocute everything before it hit me. At most, the magical strain will leave me with a migraine tomorrow- but that is a concern for tomorrow." He was used to using his magic to fight, but if he kept it up at this pace he was going to have to face the consequences of overextending himself. Fortunately, there were Zora healers who were more versed in that particular magic than he could hope to be.

"Don't worry about it, Sister Judith. I remember when I took my first injury. It wasn't even fire-based or otherwise an exceptional danger to my kind, and I took it far worse than you just did." He clasped her shoulder. "Of course, my kind has a lot of weaknesses. That said, consider yourself initiated in battle now." A faint smile tugged on his lips. "The first wound is always the worst. It's uphill from here on out." Letting go of her, he turned his gaze forward. "Do you need some time to recover mentally, or should we press on?" He didn't want to push her if she couldn't handle it yet. Those Wizzrobes were still on the loose...

"R-Really?" Judith blinked in disbelief at Triton's compliment. It was high praise, coming from a Zora battlemage, but... she was almost certain that he was just trying to make her feel better. The priestess could not imagine the stoic Triton crying out in pain, at least not to the extent she had. She was relieved that he had not sustained any serious physical punishment- she very much doubted that either of them would be making it out of here alive if he did. "Well... There's no time to waste. We should keep moving. I'll be right as rain, so long as-"

"No, you should stay put. It'll make this MUCH easier."

Startled by a voice which was neither hers nor Triton's, Judith spun to face the new speaker, fearing the worst. But rather than the Wizzrobes she expected, the acolyte saw something quite different: A strange creature resembling a bloated orange bat had emerged from the chambers ahead, leering at the two mages with hate-filled eyes as it kept itself aloft with powerful beats from its thick, leathery wings.

"Gar har har! I'm sorry... was I interrupting something?" The monster's mocking laughter was ear-splittingly loud, and Judith had a hard time deciding whose guffaws were more annoying: The avian Wizzrobe's, or this fiend's.

"Who are you?!" She demanded, immediately training her staff upon the creature.

If the bat-like horror was at all intimidated by Judith's gesture, it betrayed nothing of it. Instead, it simply smiled in response to her query, revealing a maw full of oversized fangs. "Me? Name's Vire. I'm what you might call... a supervisor."

"You're a demon in service to the Dark King." Judith retorted gravely, the pieces coming together in her head. "You were the one who lead the Wizzrobes here, no doubt with false promises of fell power. The deaths of my Sisters and the Zoras who prayed here... that was your doing, wasn't it? You are the architect of all this sorrow, the mastermind behind everything!" Overcome with righteous indignation, it was all Judith could do not to attack Vire then and there, held back only by the knowledge that if Vire had truly attained a position of prominence in Ganon's armies, then he must possess a power that belied his small frame.

Her anger seemed to amuse Vire, and his wicked grin grew even wider. "Mmm... Mastermind. I like the sound of that! But yes, I brought the Wizzrobes here. They performed their task adequately, and my master, whose name you dread to even utter, may have a place for them in his empire. However, it is I who stands to profit the most from this little venture. Truth be told, while your presence has caused me no small amount of trouble, it also benefits me. Your blood will make an ideal offering..." Vire paused to lick his lips, but before Judith could ask what he meant, he suddenly shot forward with a speed she would not have thought possible, his elongated canines bared!

"... As well as a tasty snack!"

Triton watched and listened in silence as Vire and Judith exchanged unpleasantries, one fist balled as he watched the beast's movements. Finally, he saw it twitch, and he shot towards Judith, himself. "Sister, on the ground-" He positioned himself between Judith and Vire, casting an instance of Nayru's Affection to send the monster rocketing back towards the wall behind it.

"Ohhhhh," it said, "You... you are a problem!" It righted itself, shutting its mouth and puffing up its cheeks. Triton held up his hand, suddenly feeling very vulnerable without his cane. Running was not an option this time... They had to dispatch Vire, and preferably his Wizzrobes, if they were to cleanse the cavern. To his horror, Vire spat a ball of fire at him, not unlike the ones his own kind could produce. He had used up his reflective spell, but he couldn't dodge either, not with Judith behind him. Swallowing painfully, he gathered his nerve and leapt in the way of the attack, taking the blow meant for the priestess.

Zoras and fire had never mixed well, and when the two made contact, Triton remembered why. The pin was agonising, the flame eating through his scales and hurting the flesh beneath them. As much as he tried to clench his teeth, he ended up calling out in pain, falling to the ground and clutching his abdomen, where the impact had been. Curse his weakness... he was sure Thria would already have found a solution to Vire's existence by just trying to attack it. "I..." he said to Judith, gasping and starting over, "I may be able to find out how to kill it... but it will take time..." He swallowed again, reaching into his pack and pulling out two items.

One was a small vial of a clear, red liquid, which he knew would alleviate his pain. The second was a small, crystalline rock glowing with a faint blue light.

"Triton, no!"

While it was bold of the Zora to interpose himself between her and Vire, Judith feared that it was an unwise decision. It may have been his duty as an escort, but she could defend herself with Nayru's Affection as well, despite Vire's swiftness... His noble act would only give the demon incentive to neutralize him first. Moments later, this dire prediction was proven correct as Vire, repelled by Triton's barrier, proceeded to exploit his lack of a defense by spewing a fireball that hit her aquatic companion head on.

Mere seconds ago, she had thought it impossible for the normally unflappable Triton to emit a scream. Now she knew better. Judith hated seeing people suffer on her behalf... It felt wrong. She was a priestess, she had sworn a sacred oath to provide succor to the wounded. That she should be the cause of such pain to the innocent... All she could do was put a stop to it as soon as she could.

Unfortunately, there was no time to rush to Triton's aid. Flush with his apparent victory over the Zora, Vire capitalized on his momentum by lunging toward Judith, eager to down both of his foes. He flew with inhuman agility, turning on a dime as he swooped down to maul her with tooth and claw.

Thinking that Vire would not be foiled by Nayru's Affection twice in a row, the priestess resorted to fancy footwork to evade his attacks. She successfully twisted away from his snapping jaws, but there was no dodging the two follow-up swipes from his vicious talons, which scored a pair of bloody marks on her unguarded midriff. Gasping as the pain lanced through her, Judith flailed her arms wildly, managing to bop Vire on the head with her staff. The instant she felt it connect with his skull, she summoned all her concentration and blasted him with a point-blank Magic Bolt, sending the fiend hurtling backwards.

"Owowowow!" Vire's screeches were high-pitched, like those of a petulant child. Judith dared to hope that her desperate blow had dealt him a grievous injury, but these hopes were dashed as Vire regained his composure, maneuvering to a hovering position near the ceiling, his claws still dripping with her blood. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to pick on someone smaller than you?" The demon chided, wagging one of his bloodied talons at her. "Oh, well. The first blood still goes to me." Extending an elongated tongue, Vire began to lick some of the crimson fluid off of his claws.

Disgusted by his display, Judith clutched her staff tightly, trying to steady herself. She wanted to run to Triton's side so she could heal him, but she would almost certainly be on the receiving end of a fireball if she tried. Nonetheless, her offensive options were exhausted; there was little she could do to fend off Vire while her Magic Bolt recharged. It was a lose-lose situation, but at least in helping Triton, she would be living up to the tenets of her faith.

Taking a deep breath, Judith made a run for it.

Triton did his best to ignore the sounds of the ongoing battle around him as he gulped down the contents of the vial and focused on the crystal in his hand. When his lungs stopped protesting and he felt he could talk normally again, he thought of the person bearing the stone's twin. "Sister," he said, quietly enough that Vire couldn't hear him. "Are you available?"

"To lecture you instead of being lectured? Always." Thria's voice coming through the stone clearly and sharp as ever brought a smile to his face. "What do you need, big brother?"

"Vire," he said. "We ran into a hitch in the temple, and we have no idea how to tackle it."

"Ohhhh." Thria sighed. "You got a Vire? Nasty little shits, those. Okay, so I've got good news for you and bad news. Good news is: they're stupidly fragile. Fin, foot, sword, just about anything will break their hollow little bones or rip their wing membranes."

"And the bad news?"

"You kinda need to connect in order to do the breaking and the ripping. And that's where Vires are stupid. They're agile, Triton. A Vire in the air is like a Zora in the water, or worse. Getting a hit in won't be easy. You're gonna want to try stunning or distracting it." Vire taunted Judith, and Thria must have picked up on the sound, for she groaned. "Oh gods, you've got a sapient one. Have fun, Triton, and best of luck. You're gonna need it if you're going to get out of that one sane." The glow on his stone faded, and he knew Thria had tuned out. Her break must have ended, or something of the like.

Triton looked up just in time to see Judith run towards him, Vire ready to attack her in retaliation. Hadn't Thria mentioned stunning the thing? Well, stunning would be a little much, but he had slightly more range on something else... He started to run towards Judith, finally grabbing her shoulder to pull her out of the way as he extended his other hand, using his Blizzard spell to fend off Vire. It was weak, but if it struck Vire it would slow him down. And if nothing else, it could deter the small creature from attacking them before they regained their footing.

When Triton sprang up from the ground and yanked her out of the path of Vire's oncoming fireball, Judith sighed internally. Why was she so helpless...? The Zora's ice spell had done a marvelous job of halting Vire in his tracks. The demon had been overzealous in his assault, thinking Triton out of the fight, and now paid the price by being caught within the arcane blizzard, unleashing a string of profane expletives that Judith did not care to pay any attention to as he was buffeted by the freezing air.

Well, her helplessness stopped now. Eyes narrowing as she saw her chance, Judith raised her staff. She could still feel the lingering effects of Nayru's holy hymn within her, allowing her to concentrate and recast her spells far more quickly than Vire had bargained for. It was fitting, she thought, that it was Mother Nayru's boon that would lend her the power she needed to purge Her temple of evil.

Slowed as he was, Vire was a surprisingly easy target. Judith's Magic Bolt lanced straight into the demon, sending him hurtling backwards, only for him to collide with the wall and slowly slide to the floor. The sickening crunch produced by the impact led the priestess to relax, filled with relief and no small amount of satisfaction that Vire's incessant gibbering had finally been silenced.

"Triton, we-"

"Grrr... Now you've done it. Now I'm really mad!"

Unbelievably, the foul imp stirred and rose, gnashing his teeth in frustrated anger. Judith was shocked by how resilient Vire seemed to be- his small frame should have given out by now, given the magical pummeling he had weathered. As the demon took to the air once more, Judith grimly wondered if all of those touched by Ganon were granted a measure of unholy protection that defied all logic...

When Vire righted itself once more and continued its chatter, Triton turned around, more frustrated than shocked. Apparently, Thria had exaggerated when she had told him how frail these things were. Either that, or they were magically more resilient, or this was a particularly tough specimen. "I'll get you!" it cried, "I'll get you gooooood- OW!"

"The adults are talking," Triton simply said, his hand still outstretched. When Vire had launched itself at him, fangs bared and obviously about to bite him, he'd simply cast a Fire spell, stopping it in its tracks. "You're wearing my patience awfully thin- don't make me teach you manners." He turned back to Judith. "I fear we'll need a physical form of attack. I think the wall hurt it more than our spells did." This would give credence to his theory that their opponent was well-protected against magic. Judith had her staff, but sadly, neither of them was built for physical combat. "One of us will have to create an opening," he said, looking at the fluttering Vire and seeing one of its wings flap a little erratically, "for the other to make use of to smash its skull. The question is who should do which..."

Remembering the result of her last close-quarters engagement with Vire, Judith subconsciously raised a hand to the still-bleeding cuts on her midriff and shot Triton an apologetic look. "Ummm... I think you would be better-suited to melee, Triton. I'm too frail to inflict any lasting injuries... I will do my best to draw his attention." She whispered, so the demon would not overhear their plan of attack. Thankfully, he seemed to be too preoccupied with thrashing about in pain to pay them any mind.

Taking advantage of the fiend's disorientation to stride forward with as much false confidence as she could muster, Judith brandished her staff and called out to him, her voice dripping with barely concealed contempt. Hopefully her volume would be an adequate mask for her unease.

"Vire! Cease your pitiful struggling and admit your defeat! For what you have done here, for all the innocent lives your schemes have stolen, there can be no forgiveness. But, I will still give you one chance to accept Nayru's mercy. Come quietly, and I shall spare your wretched life." It was not an offer Judith particularly wanted to honour, or even make, nor did she believe a wicked creature like Vire would ever agree to her terms. Nonetheless, Mother Nayru was a Goddess of healing and redemption, and she felt it was her duty to at least try, even if she personally wanted to rip Vire's wings off and stuff them down his throat.

Her ultimatum seemed to snap the impish horror out of his convulsive fit, and he turned his baleful gaze toward the priestess, his fangs spreading in a malicious grin.

"Fat chance, priestess! You're far too late to stop us. Even if I wanted to give up- and I DON'T- we've already succeeded in our mission. Besides, I wouldn't put much faith in Nayru's mercy... considering it was one of YOUR kind that led us here."

"WHAT?!" Judith's horrified shriek could have woken the dead, such was the force of her dismay. For his part, Vire seemed terribly amused by her reaction.

"Oops! Did I let that slip? Oh well. It's true! Does that shock you, priestess? Well, why don't I show you something even more surprising, then?" Vire smiled one last time, before suddenly splitting into two smaller versions of himself, which immediately began to shake, their physical forms warping and mutating until they resembled two black bats with hideous skulls for faces, not unlike the Anti-Fairy from earlier.

Without warning, the newly created abominations rushed at Judith, who was still too stunned by the prospect of a traitorous Sister to properly fend them off...

"Don't let him get to you!" Triton called, brandishing Judith's staff, "That's what he wants!" When Vire split off into two separate bodies, he at least ceased his chattering, but not before throwing Judith off her mental balance by telling her it had been humans who had brought him here. Triton was not nearly as startled as the priestess, knowing that the followers of evil came in as many forms as there were races and sub-races in Hyrule and then some. That Vire claimed they had already succeeded in their mission, however, was a worrying statement... but nothing more than a claim, in the end. Triton would judge for himself.

"I think not!" Positioning himself between the priestess and the large bats, Triton calculated his angle and took a swing with Judith's staff. He got the both of them in one swing, the monsters veering off into the opposite direction and careening off the wall opposite them. While they were dazed, Triton launched a fireball at one of them, burning it to a crisp, and when the second one came for another strike, he beat it towards the ground where he crushed it under his flipper. There might have been two of them, but individually they were a lot more fragile than the original had been. He turned to Judith to return her staff.

"We must hurry and investigate deeper," he said. "I don't know what their mission was, but if they've succeeded I'm willing to guess it's in our best interest to reverse it as best we can."

Recoiling as Triton intercepted the twin bats currently charging toward her and proceeded to lay a righteous beatdown upon them, Judith took a nervous step back, half-expecting another trick on Vire's part. When no further threats emerged from the twisted creatures' remains, she carefully strode toward her companion to collect her staff. Bashing a demon's brains out was certainly a savage, inelegant use of her casting implement, but under the circumstances it had probably been the best way to smite Vire before he did too much damage in his new form. In any event, the condition of her staff was the least of her worries at the moment.

There were more pressing matters to address.

"Triton... I know there's a good chance Vire was lying, but..." Judith began hesitantly, unsure of herself. Was it really worth believing anything one of Ganon's lieutenants had to say? Deceit was, after all, the perfect weapon with which to sow mistrust, and the servants of darkness were not above exploiting such methods just to create an opening for a cheap shot. Still... "... What if Vire was telling the truth? If one of my order has betrayed their sacred oaths, then... Zoras died here as well, because of him or her. I apologize, Sir Triton. I do not know what to say."

This whole situation was a travesty... Regardless of their veracity, Vire's allegations would have to be brought before the Archcanoness, so that a thorough investigation could be conducted. The Cult of Nayru had always fostered strong relations between the faithful and the Zoras of Lake Hylia, sharing knowledge and arcane secrets. This bond was a wonderful thing, the epitome of everything Nayru stood for. Was this mutually beneficial partnership destined to be shattered because a single heretic had decided to pervert the teachings of Mother Nayru? She would not allow that to happen.

"... Know this, Triton. If there is a traitor, I will find them. I will hunt them down and apprehend them. And when I do, I will see them extradited to the Zora Domain as soon as possible, so that your people may have justice. I give you my word." Judith's voice was quiet, but there was a burning intensity to her speech. The priestesses of Nayru did not overlook treason, and to turn one's back so utterly on one as kind as sweet Mother Nayru... It made her blood boil.

"Worry not, Sister Vilcaron." Triton crossed his arms as he proceeded ever deeper into the cavern. "Humans -and I mean that term as loosely as it can be interpreted- are inherently selfish and greedy. Many of us succeed in suppressing those urges for the sake of stability and balance in the world and in society, but they exist nonetheless. No one is immune- and certainly not an organisation as large and as well-educated as the Cult of Wisdom." He shook his head. "Religion naturally attracts those who are charismatic and intelligent. Sadly, these are also traits found in psychopaths and sociopaths, who would misuse that religion. Just a few years ago, my own sister had to dispose of a traitor among the ranks of Lord Jabu-Jabu's guards. So it's not as if Hylians are the only race guilty of this."

In the next room over, he saw that the path once more led them underwater, and he helped Judith maintain her balance so she could step down from the small ledge that led to it. "I'm not sure what it is I'm trying to say, here," he muttered. "However, please don't think that this reflects poorly on your church. Corruption is everywhere people gather, and we would be remiss and hypocritical to criticise you for it." He kneeled, looking into the water. He didn't sense anything strange about it, but he didn't trust the situation... least of all with those Wizzrobes still unaccounted for.

My, Triton held a rather pessimistic view of people, didn't he? There was certainly an element of truth to his words- what was right was often forsaken in favour of what was expedient, but Judith preferred to believe that the Goddesses' children were ultimately good at heart. How else could one explain the prevalent models of ethics, or the near-universal loathing of suffering? True, they were often tempted from the path of righteousness... but many who strayed eventually found their way back. Mother Nayru and Her sisters were such powerful moral agents that it was difficult to imagine altruism being anything other than nature's intended behaviour.

Of course, she mused, the very existence of the Wizzrobes who had defiled the shrine seemed to challenge her assumptions on the matter. And Triton was as wise as they came- if he had adopted a world-weary demeanour, he must have had his reasons. Perhaps neither of them were entirely correct, and the truth lay somewhere in the middle, between her optimism and his cynicism.

In any event, it wasn't worth contradicting the Zora over. Instead, Judith simply nodded as Triton lowered her down into the watery passageway leading to the next chamber. "You're right, Sir Triton. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your understanding. Nonetheless, I will keep you apprised if I learn anything more. For now, let us proceed. Maybe we can find more information about what happened deeper within the cave."

With that, the priestess dove beneath the surface and paddled on ahead, keeping a sharp eye out for any sign of the vile Wizzrobes or their allies. It was a surprisingly short swim to the next room, the underwater tunnel growing more and more shallow until she was forced to rise to the surface once more. As she cast her gaze about the small chamber that now lay before her, two things immediately seized her attention.

The first was a magnificent golden statue of Mother Nayru, situated against the far wall. It was identical in style to the sculpture at the entrance of the Mermaid's Cave, save for the more expensive material it was composed of. It was a heartening sight, though Judith remembered her promise to Triton that any further idol-based worship would have to wait until the shrine was fully cleansed. Still, even if she had not promised, she would have found it hard to pray, given the alarming nature of the second thing she had noticed.

A pile of oddly shaped bodies lay close to the water's edge, motionless. Surprise turned to confusion as she swam toward them for a closer inspection, only realized just what they were. Wizzrobes?!

Quickly hoisting herself out of the water and rushing over to the inanimate sorcerers, Judith wasted no time in checking their vitals, her staff at the ready in case any of them sprang to life and attacked her. Such fears soon proved groundless, however. Dead... all of them. Four Wizzrobes, four corpses. Strangely, their bodies were cold, as if they'd been dead for some time, yet there were no visible signs of decay, at least that she could see. The stench of rotting flesh was likewise curiously absent.

Turning to Triton, Judith furrowed her brow and gestured to their cadaverous company.

"Look here, Sir Triton. These Wizzrobes are all dead, slain by what I can only assume must be magic. I don't think these are the ones we faced earlier, either. Their bodies are cold to the touch, and there are too many of them. Additionally, their robes and hats look a little different than the two we fought... Admittedly, the lighting was poor during our earlier encounter, so I only vaguely recall their outlines... So I could be wrong, but..."

Pausing, Judith stood and whirled to face the statue, placing a hand under her chin, deep in thought.

"Maybe a battle occurred here? The priests and pilgrims of the shrine rallied here, around the statue of my Goddess, and made a stand. Both our peoples are quite proficient in magic, so that would account for the slain Wizzrobes. But then... where are their bodies? The Wizzrobes we fought said they had killed everyone." There were no other corpses in the room, and try as she might, Judith couldn't make out any obvious traces of a struggle.

"What do you think, Sir Triton?"