Skyview Dungeon(PC and Quill)

Sexton didn't quite understand how he got to his current ambiguous location. He had suspected it to be a dream, but for whatever reason his pinches didn't wake him. He hadn't seen another non-hostile creature in approximately a week. His dagger was stained with the blood of many Bokoblins and Moblins that inhabit this forest that he is stuck in. Deku Baba sprouted from the ground unexpectedly which made Sec fearful of even exploring this uncivilized place.

Despite the monsters that plague this place, the environment was beautiful. The trees had luscious leaves, the temperature was perfect, and the water was so clear and pure. He began to sip from a stream as he heard a sound rattling the leaves behind him as he quickly hid behind a nearby tree til the enemy passed. Though was this an enemy or something entirely unexpected.

Re: Skyview Dungeon(PC and Quil)

Loft burst from the bushes, screaming. "RED SUMOBLIN RUN AWAY!!! AAAAH!"

He ran headlong into a tree, and fell over. "Owww..." His ears pricked, and he threw himself to one side as a gigantic spear rocketed out of the bushes behind him, spearing straight through the tree.

"Farore's fusty foot fetish! It's gonna e-vi-sc-er-ate me!" He paused, looking behind him back into the bushes.

"Is that the right word, Marcus?"

A young voice sounded from... somewhere. "If by eviscerate, you mean 'rip out your guts,' then yes, it will."

"GAHAHAHAHHAHA!!" Loft screamed, as a giant red form burst from the bushes. Its pierced nipple, peculiar Speedo, and giant shield complemented its rolls of fat perfectly.

"Honey," Loft said, sticking his hip out and flapping his hands at the moblin, "you look FABULOUS."

The moblin grunted, and a sigh was heard from behind a tree to their left. "Honestly, Loft, stop being a fashonista and attack it already!"

"Fine, fine," Loft said airily, waving his hand dismissively and almost getting it chopped off by yet another spear. "Insta-spear, huh? Well, I got a few words to say to you, budd-"

Whatever words Loft had for the moblin were cut short as the spear's shaft slammed into his side, smashing him against a tree. "Ow. Little help?"

Re: Skyview Dungeon(PC and Quil)

Sexton saw a strange guy running from the bushes screaming and a Moblin barreling afterwords him. He saw a second Hylian approach but he had already begun climbing the tree frantically. While resting on the branch he stared at the two Hylians and the Moblin. They seemed unusual to say the least. He began to rest on the branch and watch, he wasn't sure whether or not to help. These were the first Hylians he had seen in a week.

"Ahh! It's a green monster!" said a small thing that Sec thought was a branch. He didn't know what it was at the moment, but the majority of Hyrule have recently discovered the existence of an ancient race known as Kikwi. Sexton got off balance due to the scare but the stranger slamming into the tree is what knocked him down from the tree.

Sec landed on his knees and hands, luckily he activated feather fall to avoid injury. He was about to leave but three red Bokoblin came from the forest to investigate the screams. "Shit..." he said as he grabbed his dagger from his pouch and stared at the Moblin. "You guys can fight right? There's no getting away from all of them."

Re: Skyview Dungeon(PC and Quil)

((It's getting weirder and weirder to write Marcus in the 1st person, so I'll try third))

Marcus watched interestedly as a large figure toppled from a tree with a yell, activating some kind of spell to slow his descent. Hmmm... he thought, his eyes narrowing at the flash of steel in the green haired man's hand, this is the first Hylian we've seen since we arrived. I wonder; is he native to this forest, or did he get transported here as we did?

"You guys can fight, right?" The Hylian asked, keeping a watchful eye on the Moblin. "There's no getting away from all of them."

All of them? Marcus decided to take a chance, and stuck his head out from behind the tree. Three green bokoblins had rushed to investigate the newcomer's yell, brandishing their weapons threateningly. Oh, that's just lovely.

He was about to open his mouth and tell the stranger that he couldn't fight, when he checked himself. Couldn't he? He had Nayru's Affection, after all. He might be of some use.

And besides, he reasoned, brain always triumphs over brawn. Now let's see... I need a plan...

"I can fight!" He heard Loft say cheerfully. "Let's get 'em!"

Re: Skyview Dungeon(PC and Quil)

Sec had been in this forest for about a week now. He'd encountered several of these creatures but he usually tried to run. This time they had him mostly surrounded. This match even had the Kikwi in the tree excited and peering out instead of being a normally still bush. Maybe he had pegged the green man the wrong way. Sexton peered back at the group of Bokoblins and started to bite his lip. Honestly, he was afraid of the monsters. But cowardice will not make them leave.

Sexton had a few tricks up his sleeve just encase he got outnumber or out massed. Just because he preferred to not fight doesn't necessarily mean that he didn't know how. Sexton contemplated taking his bow out, but a long range weapon would be a bad idea if he was forced to have his back to the enemy. He continued to grip his dagger as the Moblin began to be impatient and charged the green clad explorer like a bull would red. Sec dodged the attack and while the Moblin was trying to pick his spear out of the ground slashed the shield with his dagger. Much too Sexton's surprise, the dagger got caught. He assumed the shield would just get worn a bit. Sexton got the dagger loose, but it was too late. The Moblin had already knocked him over with a heavy shield bash. The Moblin then savagely began to bash the shield into the downed Hylian.

Marcus had watched interestedly as the stranger and Loft battled the Moblin. He had sighed resignedly when reinforcements had arrived. He had begun tapping his feet somewhere between the third and fourth minutes of the battle. Now, when the stranger had lost his weapon, he decided that enough was really enough. Striding forwards to the Moblin, he stooped forward and grabbed one of the fallen bokoblins' spear. Trusting that Loft would protect him, he walked straight up to the Moblin, lifted the spear, and drove it with all his might into the back of its neck. Now, there was obviously not much force present, but it was more than sufficient to kill the thing.

Standing over its fallen form, and ignoring the newly-deceased bokoblins around him, he glared at the stranger.

"I expect a full introduction, and any information that you might have about where we are, why we are here, and who, or what, brought us here. Now, I assume that we were all brought here for a reason, and as there happens to be a gigantic white structure less than a mile from our current position, I would assume that we need to go there."

((This post may seem strange, but this battle has taken a long time IRL.))

Sec stared off in the direction of the tower as he mouthed inaudibly Never seen that before. Sec retrieved his dagger and put it back in his holster. "The name is Sec," he said as he continued staring at the white structure. "I've been here for about a week and you are the first sentient creatures I've seen."

Sexton continues staring at the white structure jetting up among the trees, it curled out from a center position. "What is that?" He suddenly snapped out of the trance as he stared at the tree he fell from remembering a strange creature. He walked over and began to shake it yelling, "I know you're still up there. Come down here!"

The shaking finally knocked the small thing from it's hiding place, "Mean green monster going to hurt me!" it said as it shivered.

"We aren't mean, now tell us what is that?" Sexton then pointed at the structure.

The kikwi was being difficult as it said "What makes you think I know?"

Loft gaped at the thing, his jaw hanging wide open. "Oh. Farore."

He wrenched his dagger out of a bokoblin's larynx and darted towards it, blood-stained arms outstretched. "I'M GOING TO KIDNAP YOU!!"

A hand snapped forwards, and Loft collided with a shimmering blue crystal. He was thrown backwards, the spell reversing his direction while preserving his velocity.

Marcus carefully preserved the moment in his mind, deciding to ponder carefully how the transition between directions was made so smoothly later; perhaps the crystal acted as a mirror, and at the point of impact-

He shook his head, and glared angrily at the creature. "Of course you know something," he said coldly, "you live here. Now, either you tell us everything you know about that structure, or I let my friend here take you."

He gestured to Loft, who was rubbing his rump sullenly, and eyeing the thing with fanatic eyes. Marcus knew that Loft had no bad intentions- the worst case scenario was that it would get hugged to death- but the creature didn't need to know that.

The kikwi opened it's eyes wide and ducked into it's leafy camouflage as Sexton squatted down and began to whisper to it, "The man over there still knows your there. He's smarter than the monsters that you usually see."

The Kikwi popped back out. "That is the Skyview Temple, it is held sacred to us Kikwi's. But lately.. it has been overrun by beasties." The Kikwi sighed as he questioned, "Can I go now?"

Sec grinned as he nodded his head. The Kikwi didn't waste time in running away either. He ran back into the tree and stared at the strangers. "That thing is creepier then it should be..."

Sexton stared upon the tower in the distance as he felt the urge to go over there. He was terrified at having to face more monsters but he knew that somehow that would lead him to the area that he needed to get out of this forest. "I'm heading that way. Before we part.. care to divulge your names?"

Marcus stared at him coolly. "I am Marcus, and this is my associate, Loft. I don't know where you got the idea that we would be parting; I clearly stated that we were planning on travelling there."

He began striding briskly towards the tower, but stopped when he realized that Loft wasn't following him. "Loft?"

Loft was mournfully gazing at where the cute plushy doll had vanished. "Plushy doll... y u no stay??"

"I'm sure we'll see many more of his kind along our way," Marcus said, "now come on. Don't you want to fulfil your role as meat shield while stupidly exploring the deadly, dangerous, and unstable structure filled to the brim with monsters and fatal traps?"

"YEAAAAH!" Loft roared, dashing past Marcus towards the structure, loosing a great roar. "FOR STUPIDITY! FOR MEAT SHIELD! AND FOR THE PLUSHY!"

Sec was caught off guard by the bluntness of the statement. "I'm more of a loner but I suppose traveling in numbers would be better in such harsh conditions," Sec grinned at the duo. He began to ponder what he had gotten himself into. The only reason that he said he wished to go there was to get away from them so they wouldn't see him as a coward. There was no way of weaseling out of this now.

On the strangely uneventful trip there Sec began to wonder why it was called Skyview Temple. The curiosity increased as he saw several bird statues scattered all throughout the land. He didn't have much time to examine any of them but they seemed religious to an extent. He wished the strange plushy had been with him to explain. He gazed up at the sky for a moment seeing a huge tree rocket into the sky. Sec had head stories about a grand tree in Kokiri Forest, maybe that is where they were.

After a long journey they finally came within view of the marvelous structure known as the Skyview Temple. Sec saw the strange bird statue standing outside the entrance as if it was a guardian of the temple. The place looked surreal and verified Sec's thoughts that the bird statues were religious. This place looked like a huge church, but according to the Kikwi there were 'beasties' running about. "Do we knock?" Sec joked as they began to enter the dungeon.

"Do you see a door?" Marcus asked, gesturing at the open entrance.

"Pretty birdy!" Loft said happily, petting the statue's head.

The sun was casting a bright light through the green-leaved trees, yet somehow the light just... stopped. None of the sunshine entered into the Temple; instead, the stairs lurked, dark and gloomy, just beyond the reach of the light.

Marcus swallowed. Such a thing should not be possible, and whenever the unexplained occurred, there was always something really powerful, and usually really malicious, behind it. After all, the Maidens of Sunshine and Roses rarely ever did anything like this.

He lifted out a hand, hesitant to break the light barrier. A whole different world lurked beyond this line; here, the birds were singing, the sun was shining, and all was well. In the shadows of the Temple, however...

Loft skipped forwards. "Pretty glowing blue mushrooms!" He sang, disappearing into the Temple's dark depths.

Marcus sighed. "If anyone's wondering, the screaming's coming from the moment he just butchered." With that, he followed Loft inside.

Sexton walked past the barrier and turned his head to notice the same phenomenon from inside the Temple. He gazed around and eyed the mushrooms Loft was speaking of. He had never seen mushrooms this big. There were some beautiful blue butterflies fluttering around the dungeon but besides those things the decor of the temple was moss covered walls that had cracks all in it.

Sexton gazed at the bird statue and began to seriously question what the deal was. He wondered if this was like home to the strange plushie creatures outside or was this simply the doing of the monsters? He noticed it was harder to breathe in the Temple then most buildings. It could have something to do with the light seal that the entrance had. There didn't seem anything too astounding in this part of the dungeon so he just continued down a corridor but out of nowhere a giant skulltula fell from the ceiling and began to attack Sec knocking him into Loft and Marcus as it let off a loud screech stirring up some sleeping Keese.

Marcus crashed to the ground, pinned to the damp, stone floor by Sec's body. The warmth of the man's systems felt strange against the cold, wet floor, and his chest and head were squished rather uncomfortably against the stone. He squirmed awkwardly, unable to properly get his arms into a position to push the man off of him.

He could only hope that Loft was dealing with the threat, until the man recovered from the hit and stood up.

Loft was, at the moment, fighting off a horde of angry Keese. Giggling, he was slashing their wings with his daggers, watching as they spiralled helplessly to the ground. Five were awoken from their sleep by the Skultula, and now five lay twitching on the ground, unable to move as their life-energy seeped from the wounds on their sides.

He looked up, grinning, at the massive spider. "Candy eyes," he noted, twirling his daggers. "Pretty candy go crash." He darted forwards, his legs propelling him across the dusty floor, as the Skultula reared onto its hind legs. It exposing its bright purple core, brightly cast against the subdued blue and grey tones of the Temple.

The glowing core tempted Loft; he wanted to strike, to touch that shining purple, to see it shatter against his blade... but something caught his eye. The waving arms of the Skultula were all pointed at him, and Loft knew that if he didn't move soon, there would be a bunch of different purple candies flying like little hailstones at his head. Loft didn't want that; now, if it shot glowing purple ooze, that would be something else... so what if his hair fell out? He'd be glowing purple!

Not wanting to be smacked by little rock-candies, he dove to the side. Instead of rock candy, though, the spider shot grey strands of webbing at the spot where he had been. Oh. That was boring. Loft sighed internally; he had been wanting to collect the candies, to make a deposit at the Hylian Institute for Cancered Cats, but it didn't look like he could do that anytime soon. And, he doubted that they accepted webbing.

The Skultula fell down on its core with a thumph, and glared at him with its little purple eyes.

"Crinkly crash!" Loft sang, and darted towards it. It spat another thing of web at him, but he pushed off a large rock, flipping over it, and landed squarely on the beast's back. He twirled his daggers in his hands, and plunged them down into the spiders' largest eyes.

He felt the daggers pierce the crystallic eyes, feeling them shatter underneath their points, as the daggers stabbed straight into the beast's brain. The Skultula twitched several times, and was still, the light behind its remaining eyes dying as its legs collapsed against the ground. He twisted the hilts, and yanked them out of its head, hearing the lovely squelch as they detached from the wet matter inside its head.

"Yummy." He glanced over at the rest of his team. "Oops. I'll leave some of it for you, next time. Sorry." He dismounted from the beast, and glanced at it sorrowfully. "No horsey... too bad. No candy, neither. The Cats'll be sad that they don't get candy."

"Loft," Marcus said testily, "shut up and put those Keese out of their misery."

"Cats?" questioned Sec as he picked himself off the ground. "I'm sorry I think I hit my head on the way down and got knocked out for a moment." Sec stared around and noticed the Skulltula was dead.

He pondered for a moment about how hard that shell looked as he cautiously stalked over to the dead Skulltula and kicked it slightly to see how hard it's head was. "You must have some muscle on you kid," he said as he stared over at Loft who was probably too distracted by the Keese to hear him. One of the Keese charged at Sec for a moment before darting into the air and doing several unusual aerial maneuvers. Sec took out his dagger and began to wait for them to come down but they all began to fly away as if a fly afraid of a fly swatter.

As Sec turned to walk back to the group a Keese charged him from behind and clutched onto his back trying to tear at his clothes. Sec began attempting to grab it off his back but it was just out of reach of the fingers. Thou8gh a simple movement of the head was enough for it to bite into Sec's hand which he quickly ripped away, tearing some skin. Sec was tired of the creature so he did the last thing he could think of. He fell flat on his back onto the rock floor. Admittedly it probably would have been smarter to slam against the wall first but drastic times comes drastic measures. The Keese released his grip as Sec stood up holding his lower back for a moment. He stomped a mudhole into the keese who was sitting in a slight puddle of water. Sec quickly scanned the room to verify that the Keese had all left.

Marcus glanced down at the newly fallen Keese, then at the five Keese that had originally been awoken by the Skultula. "Huh. There must have been more of them hanging around." He glared at Loft. "Nice job waking them up."

Loft mumbled something about brains, poking the dead Keese carefully. He glanced at Marcus, and stabbed one of the Keese directly through the brain. He frowned, twisting the knife back and forth carefully, his head tilted to one side, as if listening closely.

Eventually, he nodded, satisfied, and pulled out his knife with a wet shliik sound. He grinned at Marcus. "Bat brains squishier than spider brains."

Marcus nodded appreciatively. "I can respect scientific investigation. Well done, Loft. Now," he said, smiling at Loft's beaming expression, "let's keep moving. The door's right there, and I doubt that there'll be booby-traps, but just in case," he gestured at Sec, "care to go first?"

"Last time I went first I ended up tackling you," he grunted as he approached the door. Sec began to pry the door open which proved to be sealed shut from years of abandonment. A few heavy shoulder blocks into the door effectively barged them in.

The room was well crafted having four huge pillars holding the ceiling up. It had stairs leading down a level into what could be a sanctuary or a dining room but couldn't be figured out. About halfway down the flight of stairs the room was flooded. The water was incredibly clear which Sec wasn't used to. Typically when he explored places like this the water was super murky. The walls were full of moss but Sec was sure it couldn't hold their combined weights.

"Leave this to me," Sec said with a smirk. He took out his Magic Rod and enchanted it with his Ice Enchantment. He began to shoot it at the water. The water began to freeze in a small portion for a moment before dissipating. The heat around the water surrounding the ice made it melt pretty quickly. "I'm sorry, I guess that was useless." Now they had to find a way to the other side of the room which had an equal staircase and a door almost mirroring the other side. Swimming might be a viable option but who knows what might be stalking the waters in the deeper areas. Hidden in the darkest corners of the water were Desbreko fish that were hungry and waiting for anything to enter it's home.

Marcus shrugged lightly. "It was a good idea, even if it didn't work. Loft," he said, turning to his companion, "do you think you could-"

"Leave it to me!" Loft said, nodding happily. He skipped out of the room, the door closing with a large THUNK behind him.

Marcus stared at the closed door. After a brief pause, he furrowed his brow and stepped forward. "Well, that was unexpected. I was going to suggest tossing him in, but what-"

A loud yell cut across his words; the door was thrown open and Loft came charging through. He tore across the floor, kicking up dust and moss in his wake. His left foot landed on a rock at the edge of the water, and he pushed off it, diving head-first into the pool.

Marcus swallowed, carefully keeping his expression aloofly unconcerned. His eyes darted towards possible hiding spots of potential aquatic threats, resting mostly upon the dark corners of the room, where the light seemed not to touch. And, yes; there they were, swimming out from their hiding places; Desbrekos.

He remembered studying them in school; skeletal fish that never relinquished the possibility of a meal. Once prey was sighted, the school would pursue the target until it had been consumed completely by the aquatic abominations. And at this moment, Loft was their prey. Attracted by his flailing limbs, they advanced, swimming quickly towards him, through the gloom of the corners out into the brighter light of the open room.

The Debrekos darted forwards, slicing through the clear water towards the sinking youth, red-orange eyes gleaming maliciously as their skeletal bodies undulated in disturbing harmony. Marcus realized, through his fear, that the fish were only coming from the corner to the left of the door. If they went to the opposite, diagonal bank, and quickly swam straight across the pool, then there was a strong possibility that the two of them could make it to the door uninjured. It was the best chance they had.

"Hurry!" He snapped, grabbing Sec's arm. "They won't be distracted for long!"

He glanced at Loft, who was swimming as quickly as he could away from the target door, trying to outrun the demonic fish. Idiot. He hoped that, if it came to it, he would hop onto dry land, but would the Desbrekos follow him out? He was not yet injured, somehow managing to evade their furious slashes and swipes.

All this in one-tenth of a second. His eyes had almost immediately refocused on his intended destination, and he began tugging furiously on the arm he was holding. They needed to move, now.

Sec was reluctant to leave Loft behind but after seeing the evil eyes of the skeletal fish chasing down the small thief. Marcus' grip on the arm was enough to pull Sec in, they landed with quite a splash. It was at this moment that Sec knew he had no where to go except straight toward his goal of the door. Fear was his motivation to get out of the water as quickly as possible, though he didn't dare turn to see if they were chasing them or not.

Sec climbed out of the water on the other side of the room unscathed and quickly approached the door to get as far away from the fishes as possible. While he was at the door he noticed that it lacked a handle and it bobbed up and down like a fishing lure that was caught in a small wave. He began to listen better and realized that he heard water splashing along with the bobbing. The door was floating on the water. "I think we are going to have to drain the pool to continue.. Sexton said in a perplexed tone. He began to scan the room for a way to drain the water but the ideas were not coming and it was looking grim for Loft.

((Fishes. Fishes. Mah CDO! ))

Marcus was a very smart person. He had graduated at the top of his class from the Western Caves Healers' Academy, and was known for his analytical mind and unemotional reasoning. He had studied the laws of physics. He had contemplated the nature of magic. He had read from the great works of the ancient philosophers, and he had taken detailed notes at the Academy's Seminars, often retiring to the Library to research the presented theories further.

Yet, despite all his tempered ability, his vast wealth of knowledge, and his naturally analytical mind, he stood perplexed at this insignificant little Temple. He stared at that one, inconceivable object, his eye twitching slightly in the room's omni-present half-light. The door was bobbing. The door was bobbing!

It was not detached from the wall, merely floating in the air beside an uncovered opening, but bobbing up and down to the flow of the pool. The pool itself was located around a dozen feet away from the bobbing door, yet it was clearly moving to the pool's rhythm, shifting up and down above the dry stone to match the pool's movements. The opening behind it, if indeed there was one, must have been moving with it, for no trace of a passageway could be seen.

Marcus opened his mouth. He closed it again. He took a deep breath, massaging his temples. That should not exist, it just shouldn't! It defied all the laws of physics! Yet, there it was, the heavy stone door floating up and down, as if it were nothing but a toy, a child's play-thing. He rapped the door sharply with his knuckles, and knew that it was, indeed, made of solid stone. He leaned to the side, trying to see around it, but it remained firmly connected to the wall, despite its vertical movements.

The movements were erratic, responding only to the ebb and flow of the pool. Perhaps it did not even have an opening behind it. Perhaps this was nothing but a fake, designed solely to mislead trespassers? He glanced around the room, quickly taking in every detail.

The room itself was octagonal. The dry banks on either ends were raised platforms, the ends cutting back sharply against the walls to create four dark corners in the room. Miscellaneous broken pillars and ruined stairways dotted the bottom of the pool, and the roof was rocky and spiked with small stalactites. Moss hung from the walls, but it was thin, and the stone surface behind the plants was easily visible. The water was clear, allowing for an easy view of the pool's floor, and he saw that the bottom of the pool was a soft, sandy material, as if water had been present for so long that it had eroded the stone over a very long period of time.

Marcus sighed. Desbrekos were skeletal fish, reanimated by a permeation of necromantic magic in an area. Their behaviour belayed the fact that they did not require a food source, meaning that the travellers were not guaranteed a small hole in one of the four corners, leading to another room where a steady supply of food was readily available. Still, best to check. He scanned the opposite corners carefully. Nothing. He headed to the other end of the bank, and leaned over. Still nothing. He retraced his steps, back to the opposite side, and leaned over. If there was nothing here, than either the door was, in fact, authentic, or this room was a dead end, and they would have to re-explore the previous rooms.

Nothing. Marcus nearly ground his teeth in frustration. His eyes were irresistibly drawn back to Loft, and saw that the boy had been overtaken by the skeletal fish. So far, he had managed to beat them back with his hands, but one small Desbrekos darted underneath his flailing limbs, and bit him, hard, on the upper arm.

As if he had been turned to stone, Loft froze. His limbs were held in a perpetual pose, warding off the monsters of the past. His eyes did not move, nor did his limbs, even as the fish darted and slashed at his exposed figure. His form, no longer propelled by his movements, sunk slowly to the bottom, taking the attacking fish with it.

Marcus' eyes narrowed. Desbrekos did not possess a paralzying venom. Something strange was going on here, and he was not pleased with being kept out of the loop.

What are you up to, Loft?

---___---___---___---

Three Minutes Earlier

Loft darted into the previous room, leaving his companions behind. He heard the door thud to a close behind him, and he quickly sat onto the cold ground and stuck his fingers into his mouth.

He closed his eyes, and began to blow, the dreamy notes sighing through the room around him as his nerves tingled. It was as if every leg, every limb, every single part of him had all simultaneously fallen asleep, and was now filled with the prickly sensation of re-awakening.

The notes faded, and he shook his head, quickly rolling from the spot that he had, just moments ago, inhabited. There, sitting against the wall with its fingers in its mouth, sat a perfect replica of Loft.

Loft paused, tilting his head slightly to one side. "Is that really what my hair looks like from above?" He squashed his unruly crown of hair down with his hands, but then remembered that the copy was frozen in time, not a mirror. "Oh," he said, disappointed. "Mental note to self; get a hair-cut." With that, the original Loft placed his fingers in his mouth again, concentrated on the copy, and began to blow.

When we dream, we leave our bodies behind, our consciousness flying into obscure realms of colour, action, and inexplicable plot twists. In these new realms, we are not always as we are in the waking world. Grand avatars are created to inhabit our awareness, like clothes that are worn in the morning, then discarded at night. The avatar and the mind become as one, the empty shell filled with the essence of the formless spirit.

The magic of the Command Melody guided Loft's mind, his very being, into the copy's soulless husk, filling it with his essence. Loft's spirit easily expanded to fit the new form, an exact replica of his own, and within moments his new eyes snapped open.

The notes had faded. Loft rose, using his news legs to propel himself quickly towards the door.

---___---___---___---

Present

Loft's eyes snapped open, and he gasped as his mind recovered from the reeling sensation of being ripped from his body and slammed back into his original form. He held his hand to his head, breathing deeply as the blurry haze dissolved, and the spots vanished from his vision. Once his mind cleared, he jumped to his feet, darting unsteadily through the door again. He yanked it open, and was relieved to find that the Desbrekos were still occupied with his copy. He sprinted towards the bank, pushing off just as he had done before, but this time aiming away from the flock of fish, towards the opposite bank.

The Desbrekos had, unfortunately, become bored with his stilled copy. The waves that were created from his entry splash were much more appealing then this lifeless statue, and they darted towards him again.

Loft hurriedly kicked his feet, propelling himself rapidly towards the far bank. Unfortunately, he was not as fast as the fish, and they clipped him several times around the ankles, but thankfully he managed to kick them away before they could latch themselves onto him. He hoisted himself up onto the platform, feeling Marcus' hands helping him, and he rolled up onto the platform, exhausted.

He felt something being torn off of his leg, and heard a splash as something was thrown back into the water. Guess one of the skeletal fish had managed to get him after all. Thankfully, though, the bite was not serious.

He grinned at Marcus' upside-down head. "Hey-hey-hey! Loft-man saved the day!"

---___---___---___---

Marcus gazed down at Loft's drenched form impassively. Truth be told, he was impressed. It was a good plan, and one that the so-called idiot had formed in astonishing time. Yes, there were flaws in the plan that he himself would not have missed, but for something that was formed in such a short span of time? It was unlikely that even his mind could have realized a complete plan so quickly. But then, he reasoned, he would not have been satisfied until every last detail had gone over. Loft was a thief, after all. Thieves were known for their quick thinking and clever actions.

His honed mind quickly assigned the two of them new roles. Instead of The Genius and the Buffoon, they were now The Soldier and The General. Soldiers made quick decisions every second of their lives; in battle, there was no other choice. While their plans might not be perfect, they were often successful. Their plans were also focused the immediate problem, a reaction to the current situation. Generals, on the other hand, took time to plan out every move in advance. They planned down the road, thinking a dozen steps ahead, calculating the consequences of every action. This process took more time, but it was long-term and successful.

Yes, he mused, The Soldier and the General would be sufficient for now. He cleared his throat, nodding at Loft. "Good job. Now," he said, turning back towards the immediate problem, "what do we do about this?"

He heard Loft scramble to his feet behind him. "About what?"

"This door," Marcus said, gesturing impatiently at it. "We have to figure out a way to open it."

Loft stared at it, watching the stone slab rhythmically flow up and down. "Um, the way we normally open doors?"

Marcus ground his teeth. Perhaps he had over-estimated the fool's intelligence after all. "We can't," he said, "there isn't a handle."

Loft shrugged. "Can't we open it without one?"

"No," Marcus said, "a handle is required. We need something to hold onto so we can pull the door up."

"Maybe it's," he cast his gaze around for eavesdroppers before lowering his voice carefully, "a special door!"

"A special door?" Marcus said, interested.

"Yeah," Loft said happily. "It's got special needs, 'cause it doesn't have a handle." He looked around, frowning. "It's handler should be around here somewhere..."

Marcus sighed, resisting the temptation to push the stupid idiot back into the water. Soldier and General, bah! What rambling foolishness had that been? Still, the idea of a 'special door' remained fixed in his mind. It certainly wasn't special in the way that Loft had suggested, but perhaps... perhaps this was a different door. A different kind of door.

"Sec," he said, turning to his other, non-idiotic companion, "maybe this door isn't a normal door; maybe it opens in a different way."