(It's not a proper RP unless it has a ridiculously stupid name.) "Look, I... I want to thank you for coming along with me, Sienna." "Oi," the Scrub grunted with the tiniest hint of annoyance, "Don't call me that. Don't call me anything, just tell me where to go." "As you wish," Ruby offered, forcing herself to retain a respectful tone after that quip. She was an experienced Hylian soldier with golden hair, holding the torch for a tiny armor-clad monster wielding a weapon thrice their size. Unfamiliar trees surrounded them on either side with every step their steeds took. Their path was shrouded beneath the night sky, illuminated only by the dim light held in Ruby's hand. Of the two, one rode atop a proud, graceful black horse; the other maintained control atop a snarling, ferocious beast. Ruby's bottom lip was bit with unease, her brow furrowed. She trusted the judgement of her good friend, Gustav, who sought out such a warrior to aid her in this quest. Yet, doubt of Sienna's trustworthiness filled her mind... but... supposedly this woman had fearsome skills in battle. Even that Wolfos--a monster by definition--she rode was kept in check effortlessly. From both of them, steed and rider, she couldn't help but feel a sinister, disturbing vibe... Their mere presence seemed frightening, even to Ruby, even more so than the nightmarish beasts and monsters of dungeons. "Hylian." That voice dropped words, cold and hard, as always. "Can you see anything from up there?" Obediently, Ruby's eyes patrolled her surroundings. The reports she'd gathered only indicated that this--anamoly--was north, the very direction in which they'd been riding. Squinting, she finally beheld what must've been the tower in question, over the tree tops. Reaching as tall as the greatest trees of this forest, the mountainous pillar of dead wood seemed to pierce the heavens above, as if to insult the very goddesses. The mere presence, the sight, of this freakish pillar began to stir in Ruby's heart feelings of anxiety, and then, righteous anger. This stain on a beautiful forest was already responsible for one death, one corrupted soul, and could only be seeking more destruction. "West." Ruby pointed with the tip of her longsword, "Surely, you can see it as well?" "Only just. Your eyesight is keener than mine." Sienna's kabuto helm turned towards the tower, the glow of her eyes visible only from the slits of her helm. Her colossal glaive was held at the ready. Ravager--her Wolfos--stilled. "The woods have eyes. Sooner or later, I expect their claws to appear. Be wary of that."
Ruby couldn't help but giggle, silently, at the line. They were in a mysterious forest, in the dead of night, about to slay some giant green monstrosity in its own freakish hope... But for someone so stoic, Sienna seemed to have an odd way of saying dramatic words in monotone. Really, 'the woods have ey--' ... "Oh." Ruby's face froze, staring at a tree... which stared right back at her, eyes horrid and green. "I didn't... I thought..." Her eyes averted from the eerie gaze, back towards their destination, "I'll take your advice." "I've fought them before. I still haven't figured out what makes a tree stare at you, much less attack you." Her eyes remained focused on the path ahead, through her other senses focused on the trees, "All I know for certain is that bark makes for excellent armor." Ravager growled lowly, glancing from one tree to the next. "If they move towards you, Devilheart, use fire." 'Devilheart,' Ruby mused, At least she's calling me something other than 'Hylian.' It was apparent that this woman respected ability, and to Ruby's own surprise, she found herself respecting that. "Do you suppose these--the trees--are a side-effect of the tower?" "I'm not a philosopher," Sienna was callous, "I'm only here to kill everything except you." ...Respect was one thing, but the tiny warrior was still a twisted, cruel bitch.
As the warriors verged on the looming pillar, it became apparent there was no entryway from this side. They circled the structure, with hooves and paws treading through the marshy swamp underneath--solid ground nowhere to be found. It became apparent there was no entryway, period. Sienna's mask turned away from her companion in speaking to her, "I don't suppose you can dig or fly." "No, but I can climb." Ruby's eyes trailed up the sheer face of the tower, a coarse bark lining every inch of it, "I'm not sure if there's an entryway anywhere except the top." "Climb?" She mocked, almost disgusted, "In that armor?" A slight smirk spread across Ruby's lips. If it was ability which impressed this little beast, then perhaps this was her golden ticket. The tiniest hint of swagger began to enter her voice, "Yes, in this armor." "Regardless." It seemed Sienna either didn't care about the feat, or wasn't impressed enough to see it. "Before you go falling to your death, I have something that should help you." In truth, she mainly didn't want to see her point of contact to die--or at least, not accidentally. Ruby didn't notice the difference, however, as she was too mesmerized on the shining gadgetry of metal Sienna pulled out of her mail. In a moment, Sienna traded it for Ruby's torch.
After a brief explanation of the Hookshot and its functions, Sienna ended a brief and appropriately gruff monologue with, "I got it from a peddler before we left Nabooru... The fool had never even heard of a hookshot before. It took little effort to get this one working again." Ruby's blonde brows were still raised, impressed with the gadget as much as with Sienna's apparent foresight. Although, of course, it wasn't foresight so much as Sienna wanting a shiny new weapon that turned out to actually be useful. "I'll make sure not to damage it." Sienna just glared back at her, expression invisible behind her mask. After a moment, she turned back towards the pillar. "Go to the top. I'll be here." "Why would you--" "No. You underestimate the weight of my armor." "Perhaps. Why would you think mine's --" Sienna lifted her mask, and glared the Hylian's eyes with her own, uncovered for the first time in days. Scars covered her, her bark was broken in half-a-dozen places, and her visage was one of unimaginable fury. Her eyes, still in place, seemed like they were stabbing every inch of Ruby's bare flesh, slashing, destroying, and obliterating every fiber of her body and soul both. Sienna's voice was eerily monotone, even more than usual. "I live, breath, and shit armor. You wear something given to you by your employer. Get the fuck up there, and find a way to get me in." With that said, Sienna closed her mask over her face once more, hiding her nightmarish glare back into the safety of her helm. ...Ruby could barely keep herself from squeaking pathetically, even as she looked down almost six feet down to meet that terrifying glare. Wordlessly, and compliantly, she began to dismount Emerald. Her voice hesitantly asked, "You'll watch her for me, right?" "It will not die," Sienna glared at the trees, returning their stare. "Everything else will. Go." "Good..." The blonde's voice trailed off. She watched the tiny armored monster--her ally, supposedly--a while longer, studying her. The woman appeared as an enigma, but, Ruby began to feel the tiniest hint of compassion. With a soft sigh, she turned to face the tower, and proceeded to aim the Hookshot as best she could towards its peak.
When the device ripped her off the ground, she could have sworn both her elbows were going to snap off. Ruby's boots landed with a thump and a skid--her body was surrounded in a cloud of dust. Her breath was heavy, clutching the metallic device with a pair of trembling hands. Crouched forward, it took a moment to truly comprehend that she wasn't crouching on the ground, but crouching on the wall of this pillar, with the device's integrity barely managing to keep her hooked on the surface. A moment passed. Focus overtook fear. She didn't need to look down, already knowing the distance would be fatal. She has missed her mark--an outstretched platform--by at least a meter. Taking a deep breath, Ruby twisted the hookshot out from the wall, and kicked out vigorously with her right foot--sending her body floating helplessly to the right as her free hand reached desperately for the platform-- --fingertips bounced off painfully, sending a hiss of pain from Ruby's teeth. She could feel herself twirling helplessly through the air. Panic overtook focus. Her uninjured hand involuntarily spasmed; the echo of the device, her only salvation, misfiring in some random direction struck a chord into her heart. All too quickly, she was flying head-first into the ground. "...What a way to end--OHSHI--" Ruby's arm felt like it ripped out of her shoulder as she was flung through the air, skidding a toe off the ground, as the device powerfully heaved her up, swinging her through the air. It had, miraculously, lodged itself in a tree. There was no sense of direction anymore. Her momentum caused her body to fling past the tree, shooting upwards at a horrifying speed. The sound of wood snapping filled her ears. "Where--" Ruby's feet reached beneath her, finding nothing; her eyes looked down to see the sky, then looked up to see the ground. Her ascent had ceased, and she had nothing to grasp. The woman's body floated, and she realized the descent was coming all too quickly. Holding her breath, Ruby's eyes squinted. Taking both trembling hands to the device, she aimed as best she could. This time, she knew how the device would aim. She quivered out a desperate scream, and fired it. Her body felt like it broke as she shot up the pillar once more, doubling the distance she had previously covered. Her boots struck the side of it again, crouching, higher on its surface than she was before. Her lungs were panicking as she tried to orient herself--before she could, the wood snapped, and once more she was falling. Two seconds later, her upper back struck on another platform--thank the goddesses she had aimed above it properly this time. There, Ruby laid, body aching from being flung through the air. Her chest heaved up and down. She struggled to collect her thoughts. ...Really, she shouldn't have let Sienna intimidate her into this. That woman doesn't think with her head.
That girl is an idiot, Sienna sighed. She hadn't expected this fool to just shoot it like that. For better or worse, the girl seemed to have gotten to one of the higher platforms. Sienna's eyes narrowed, trying to see through the fog to where Devilheart had landed. If there wasn't an entryway there, then another shot seemed like it would get her to the top. With or without the hookshot, Sienna herself had no way to get to the peak. She could only hope Devilheart would find some way to get her in. Worst case scenario, the girl would die, and she could abandon this lost cause. Looking at the pillar again, it seemed pointless to her: just a hunk of wood in an unfortunate place. The others said there was something menacing about it, but, she realized people tended to believe their own lies. It wasn't really surprising. Either way, Devilheart had promised her a good fight and a decent reward. Hopefully she'd at least get the prior. Ravager glance at her over his shoulder, then returned his eyes to the trees... growling lowly every time one of them moved. "...Stupid trees. So, so stupid. If you want to die that badly, I'll be happy to provide the service." Hopping off the wolfos, she abruptly and firmly dug the butt of her glaive deep into the mud, then did the same with the blunt end of her torch, thereby freeing up both hands. With a sigh, the scrub produced in each hand a small red fruit--an Ember Seed. Annoying as it was, even her glaive couldn't cleave through tree trunks.
After catching her breath, Ruby pushed off the rotting wooden floor to stand upright. It didn't seem like she would be getting in from this platform. Warily, her eyes glanced off from the bottom of the platform. Sienna was almost invisible from the distance and veil of the fog. With a nervious gulp, she realized her best option at this point was to aim higher. Slowly, the lass crept back until her heels were nearly at the edge of the platform. She wanted to get as far away from the pillar as possible, as she assumed the hookshot would sink in better from a greater angle. Taking a deep breath, she raised the device with both hands and aimed carefully. If this works, she bit her lip, it should get me to the top. Alright, here we g--! EEEEEEEEEEEE-- EEEEEEEEEEEE-- EEEEEEEEEEEE-- EEEEEEEEEEEE-- EEEEEEEEEEEE!!! Her eardrums were on fire, her vision blurred. It was like a wasp had rushed headlong through her ear canal and screamed at her mind from point-black range. She struggled just to endure it, screaming in pain. By the time that horrid sound ceased, she gasped out, "Damnit! Again?!" The sound was so overpowering that Ruby didn't even realize she stumbled off the platform, now stumbling through the air like a madwoman, and all too quickly approaching an untimely death below. Aiming as best she could, the hook shot forth halfway down the pillar, and flung the Hylian lass headlong into it. "No! Damnit, not straight into--!!" A thundrous crash filled her still-sore ears, as she smashed feet-first through decaying wood, rolling haphazardly end-over-end into unfamiliar darkness. The ground beneath her was as dark as it was grimy, the utter definition of filth. Gasping hard, her sore body struggled to her feet. The first thing she noticed was that the hookshot had left her hands; the second, this room was lit only by the flittering of light coming in from a hole she just broke in the wall; third, there were at least half-a-dozen ferocious orange eyes staring at her. Panting hard, Ruby's sore, trembling right hand reached towards the hilt of her longsword. Three-against-one? In darkness? I should be scared, but somehow... all I can think is that Sienna must be so envious of me right now.
"Three of you against me, and I can't even use a real weapon," Sienna cackled with twisted glee, "I bet that little Hylian would thank her precious goddesses she isn't here." Glancing back, she made sure none of these animated trees would be going after that stupid horse. Thankfully, they didn't seem to mind it, though it did seem unnerved by their presence. Ravager was hungry enough to try attacking any of them, and he would probably be outrun by a proper horse anyway. The trio wide-trucked maples attempted to encircle the pint-sized warrior. Smirking, she couldn't help but wonder how long it would take for these things to burn. Would their death be slow and painful? Can they howl? It isn't like they'd be able to defend themselves with those ridiculous branch-arms they had; as long as she didn't get herself lodged in those steel-crunching mouthes, this would be easy. Grinning, Sienna just waited, gripping an Ember Seed in either palm, and one in her mouth. She was foolhardy like that, it seemed; showing off when no one was there to see it. She knew, and didn't care. Slowly, ever too slowly, the animated trees now surrounded her on every side, a meter away. Every one was just out of her reach, but close enough that those stupid arms could swat her. Do they think I haven't noticed them yet, or what? They're so... quiet. Six eyes bore into Sienna's helm, waiting... waiting... She could practically feel their violent urges rising, unable to hold back much longer. What unspeakable darkness had containaminated them, she couldn't guess, but she knew their sadism couldn't even begin to match her own. Swiped down came two branches, lunging forth through the air at ferocious speed. With a wild cackle, Sienna hopped back and ferociously clenched both branches into her steel-clad arms, smashing the ember seeds as hard as her powerful grip could into them. Flames burst around her gauntlets, catching flame to the trees which flailed helplessly in recoil. They both pulled back at once, inadvertently heaving Sienna's heavy form into the air, granting her a perfect6 opportunity to spit the last seed out onto the last one, catching flame to it as well. A moment after she did so, the flaming branches abruptly and unexpectedly broke beneath her immense weight, flinging her into the ground. Her shoulder struck earth with a grunt, but she quickly rolled out of the center, hopped to her feet, and then lunged towards her glaive, but didn't grab it just yet. Surprisingly fast for such patient idiots. She snatched up another Ember Seed into each hand. The beasts rushed towards her, fury exploding from their silent glares. She couldn't help but grin--even so alien in a creature, the look of a corner who knew its death was coming.... Nnh... It's so... euphoric, every time. They already made it obvious that the fire would consume the dry, dead wood of their bodies, but, Sienna decided she hadn't yet had her fill. Aiming right into the face of the two nearest, she flung an Ember Seed, missing one entirely but stricking the other dead-on right in the eye. "These branches," she cackled, "unlike your trunks, they're even more fragile than bones, aren't they?!" One not yet blinded lunged its sole weapon towards her, only to have its limb snatched ferociously in Sienna's grip, smashing with her palm another Ember Seed into its limb. Grinning, the little warrior launched her fist through the branch, breaking off the flaming tip that served as its hand. As the beast flinched from apparent pain, she stuffed the limb into its mouth, catching flame. That was when Sienna's hand finally lunged towards her glaive, ripping it from the mud with her left hand. Two with flaming faces, and one--oh, there he is. Hopping to the side, then twisting forward as if to punch, Sienna's stubby arm tossed one last Ember Seed right into its eyes. Can't miss from this range. She grinned. All three were effectively blinded, and burning to their deaths. The more the fire burned, the more fragile their wood became. "You've been so quiet, my dears." Sienna cackled deeply, face growing a twisted grin, "I want to hear you moan for me."
Ruby's sword flashed out of its sheath. Quickly but silently, she backed into the column of light that illunimated a small quadrant of surroundings. Three forms began to emerge, only their silhouettes visible to her eyes. She bit her lip, struggling to get her vision to adjust to this darkness. Hostile? Are they Deku Scrubs? That's when the familiar sound of a Deku Nut being spat filled the silence. Hostile. Ruby's eyes closed at the last moment, hiding behind her arm, protecting from the blinding flash. Holding her face behind her buckler, the Hylian suddenly found herself wishing she had taken her helmet with her. "I'm not here to kill you," she pleaded. For her offering of peace, seeds flew at her wildly, bouncing off her gauntlets, buckler, and pelted painfully into the unguarded nookes and crannies. "But I will if I have to!" Nimbly, the Hylian sprinted forward, guarding her face as a barrage of seeds flew into her armor, pelting her thighs and shoulders. She hissed from the pain, and finally leapt wildly into the hurdle the three had made, slamming her boot into one as she landed. With a high-pitced roar, she momentarily startled them, giving her the split-second of focus she needed to concentrate her power into her blade. Becoming one with her arm, the longsword spun around her like a vicious tornado, sending out a blue shockwave to slash viciously into all three of the tightly-packed little beasties. After her spin attack finished, Ruby sighed out several heavy breaths. Glancing at the fallen Scrubs, the maiden let out a deep sigh, letting her heavy breathing come to a hault. I suppose... the pillar must have had something to do with this. I guess these would be considered Mad Scrubs. I.... I can't help but feel guilty about killing them; once, they were innocent. I guess Sienna wouldn't care. ...Somewhere in the distance, Ruby noticed the sound of cracking, snapping wood. There was the distant rumbling of flames. It sounds like Sienna is having some fu-- There came an earth-rumbling howl of unimaginable agony, causing Ruby's entire body to shudder. Something about that sound--so cold... so eerie. It only worsened with the two which followed it.
The armor on Sienna's body rattled quietly, as the body hidden beneath trembled with glee. Those vicious eyes glared deeply and furiously into the burnt visage of a tree, feet planted on its temples, hand gripping the glaive burried deeply and forcefully into its gullet. Gripping her mask with the other hand, Sienna shuddered out a groan of pleasure as she stared deep into the beast's dieing eyes. With a heavy sigh, she affixed the mask back on her face, and ripped her weapon out from the corpse--or whatever that heap of dead wood had become. I guess this is an addiction, she mused in the thought of it. Her body's quivering came to a halt, but her mind was still delightfully replaying that horrible dieing moan again and again. The look in its helpless eyes--even such bizarre creatures exuded such agony, such terror, beneath Sienna's heel. She relished in it. Her hand moved to pet Ravager, who had--intentiontionally or accidentally--guarded the horse. Sienna glanced again towards the pillar. "...It's open, huh." The woman's eyes moved to the pile of wooden corpsed, then once again towards the pillar, focusing on a fuzzy black sheet of magic. "An illusion?" She could only surmise that either the pillar itself was about to attack her, or that in killing those trees, she managed to end the illusion the monsters had produced to conceal the entryway. Hopefully it would be the prior, but with her luck, she surmised it was most likely not something so spectacular. At the very least, she hoped to meet whatever screeched earlier--whatever was controlling the foliage here. Or, rather, she wanted her blade to meet it. After beckoning the wolfos and horse to stay put, she maneuvered towards what appeared to be the entrance. "That fool better not have died," she mumbled, "I take my eye off a Hylian for even a second... really."
Ruby's breath was shallow. The tip of her longsword grazed along the wall, feeling her way through the darkness. There was no turning back from that hole she broke open, so her only choice was to go deeper. She hoped a few Mad Scrubs were going to be her largest problem, but, the rumors suggested worse. The cold chill of the rotting wood forbade worse. It was as if this entire pillar was just a dead tree, but how could it uphold so much weight...? Why did it have no branches...? An eyebrow raised, "An undead tree? ...Can plants even be undead?" That seemed like a question for Sienna. If they existed, she probably would have already bragged about killing one by now. Ruby smirked at the thought. Feeling around in the darkness, Ruby's hand came onto a stone--the first solid object she'd found amonst the rot and filth. Wait, did that-- It did. As steel struck it, sparks bounced off that stone. Her sword had found flint; it was exactly what she needed.
As Sienna entered the pillar, there came a terrible but omnipresent noise--the deep sound of something slowly whirling and deeply crackling... it was at once reminiscent of a hurricane and a swarm of locust. At first, it was difficult to pinpoint the sound in the pitch-black which filled the pillar's interior. A brief walk down a dark corridor led her to what appeared to be the central chamber of this foul structure--a large, roughly circular room. Thankfully for Sienna, her dimly-glowing eyes enables her to see through the darkness that permeated the chamber she entered. She wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but even one as jaded and world-weary as her was a bit surprised at what laid before her. Undead trees. Three of them. The limb-branches she had just snapped had reformed, and the trio of her most recent victims were stepping forth out of a swirling whirpool of what appeared to be... some sort of foul magic, condensed into a physical form. That's what the uneducated Sienna had guessed it was, at least. What she new for certain, however, was that was the source of the omnipresent noise. The whirpool was centered in this room, and Sienna's best guess was that it centered this entire pillar. As much as she enjoyed ending lives, even Sienna didn't want to lock horns with such creatures again--not if it meant they were going to walk out of that portal as soon as she destroyed them. That's what seemed to be happening here, at least. Thankfully, it seemed they were not as adept as seeing in darkness as she, as the creatures had yet to act upon her as they previously had... but it wouldn't be long before she was noticed. Sienna assumed she had no means of destroying the vortex, nor permanently destroying the trees. At the same time, she had no intention of retreating. Countless identical hallways seemed to lead from every angle outside of the chamber, seemingly no different from the one from which she entered. With no time and no means to make a logical decision, Sienna abruptly darted down the corridor to her left, with no knowledge of where in this mad structure it would lead.
