Jacob Temple - Ultra5 (Speaking mount + 20 rupees) Ronaldo Kawager - UnnamedDude (40 rupees) Morgan Liesmith - Squishy (40 rupees) ---- The tower loomed over the small, abandoned village, a warm wind blowing through the canyon. Morgan looked at it with a look of determination on his face. One day, he had promised himself long ago, he would climb that tower. And today was going to be that day, he haddecided. This attempt was not going to fail. Even though the past five had, this time it would go right, Morgan could feel it in his bones. The fabled treasure at the top was going to be his. All of it, down to the last little speck of gold dust would be his and his alone. Maybe he could even swim in it. A big grin spread over Morgan's face. Swimming in a sea of gold, that was a good reason to climb the damned tower. And of course his personal training. Climbing the tower was going to be his final step, he was going to prove himself he was strong enough for it, and strong enough to return to civilised society. If today was going to be a success, he would be able to see his brothers again. And of course roll around in the great big heap of gold at the top. This was going to be a good day, he thought to himself.
A lush, beautiful landscape sprawls out as far as the eye can see. A gorgeous lake lake shimmers in the mid day sun and the grass waves in the breeze. Everything was calm and peaceful. Jacob looks up from the map he was given. "Now somethin' ain't right 'ere." All below the Hylian and his Wyvern mount stretches the wasteland of the Ikana Kingdom. Devoid of most water and foliage the long dead kingdom still lives up to it's name. Eysseth snorts looking around. 'There are no fish here. Or shinys. This place is boring.' The Wyvern bends her neck backwards to where she is looking at her Hylian friend. She whimpers as pitifully as she can trying to convince Jacob to turn her around. She hadn't had any fish in two hours. It was way past feeding time. Jacob frowns as he looks out into the wasteland. The structure of the Stone Tower Temple looms in the distance and grows larger every second that the two fly towards it. "Now why would someone out 'ere send this ta me? I ain't got no friends 'ere er anythin'." Still scanning the ground Jacob notices someone or something walking. He pats his Wyvern mount on the side of the face then points to the person. "Set us down yeah?" Eysseth looks down at whatever Jacob was pointing at. 'Can't we just go home? No? Fine.' Eysseth says in her head knowing full well that Jacob can't hear or respond to that. Reluctantly she begins a dive and lands just behind the person.
A small, furry creature with a bud on his back waddled rhythmically as he approached a foreboding stone tower. He had ventured a long way from home, encountering all manner of things and employing all sorts of tricks, some involving a red boat with a lion for a figurehead, the help of many ritos and countless tuna fish, but he had gotten here. Now, any regular person would have a reason for such extreme measures. Ronaldo Kawager was mostly certainly no regular person, nor did he have any discernible reason. The closest thing to a motivation that the drifting kikwi had was what he referred to as the inscrutable bidding of his soul, but was more commonly known as whim. That said, Ronaldo was currently in one of his more fanciful moments and he held no designs, for good or ill, as he cheerily marched towards the ominous structure; the only thoughts he had were on the weather, and how nice a day it was today.
Right as Morgan was going to take the first step up the steep entrance to the tower, a large shadow appeared above him. He looked up, let out a shrill scream and whipped around to look for cover. When he found none, he simply dropped himself on the ground, his arms covering his head, waiting for the shadow to descend on him and his inevitable, gruesome end. The shadow had belonged to none other than a dragon. Though Morgan had never seen one in person, he remembered the tales his elder brother had told him when he was little, about brave knights saving princesses from evil dragons, though it usually ended with both torn to shreds and eaten by the dragon. His brother had never really liked happy endings. Morgan was pretty sure the same was going to happen to him too, and he held his breath, trying not to think too hard of a huge gaping maw filled with razor-sharp teeth, though that was pretty much all that crossed his mind.
'Small person.' Eysseth cocks her head to the side as she pokes the curled up person with one of her talons. 'Mooooooove. Come on. I wanna go home. Tell Jacob you sent that.' She continues poking him before getting annoyed and picking him up by his clothes with her teeth. "Eysseth! Put 'im down yeah?" Jacob steps off the saddle as the Wyvern puts the obviously scared Hylian down. The old Guard kneels next to the stranger. "Howdy. Sorry 'bout tha scare. Ya alright?"
Ronaldo turned to the large man and saluted jovially, though the gesture held not an ounce of reverence. Rather, it was done so casually and loosely as to suggest a child were doing it. "Hello, my friends," he chirped, getting closer to the wyvern and the smaller man who was trembling. "Well, now, are you all right? No, I suppose not. Hmm..." The kikwi poked the littler hylian with his vuvuzela experimentally, as though he were examine a particularly interesting specimen of chu. The person in question was certainly jiggling like one.
At least he hadn't been eaten yet. Though Morgan had been poked, lifted by the back of his shirt, dropped face first in the dirt again and then poked again, though the last time was by some strange instrument held by an even stranger little creature. He got to his feet shakily, brushed himself off and coughed, feeling embarassed by his earlier behavior. The dragon seemed to be controlled by the large man, who in turn didn't seem to mean him any harm. Yet. The tiny fluffball didn't seem that dangerous either, though he was a little weary of the plantlike bulb on its back. The biggest surprise to him right now was the fact he was seeing talking, moving, living beings, something he hadn't seen in years. He quickly closed his mouth when he realised he was gaping at them. Years without social interaction had left his social graces a little rusty. "Who... who are you people?"
"Lieutenant Jacob Temple, Airborne Mounted Unit Hyrule Castle Town Guard retired." Jacob motions to his Wyvern. "An this is ma mount. Eysseth Temple. White Northern Hills Wyvern. Again sorry fer tha scare. Pleasure ta meet ya." The Hylian offers a hand to the obviously confused boy. Eysseth meanwhile has her attention focused on the little plant thing. 'You are a cute little thing aren't you?' The Wyvern pokes the plant man with her nose before gently picking him up with her mouth. She places him on a rock to where she can look it over. Sniffing the thing Eysseth gets and keeps it's scent. 'You smell nice too.'
Ronaldo gave a bright smile to the winged thing. For such a reptilian countenance she was quite pleasant. "Ah, hello! And how are you today, my dear friend?" The kikwi reached a tiny arm over to the side of Eysseth's snout and pat her. This accomplished, he rose a bit to a standing position, though it made little difference in his height. He bowed, making a sweeping gesture with his hands. "And I... am Ronaldo Kawager, traveler extraordinaire! My rambling journeys have brought me far and wide, and finally... here. I am here to explore yonder tower and learn its innumerable secrets." His eyes twinkled as he explained his purpose, and he rose again to point to the top with his vuvuzela. "It is, I might add, my very good pleasure to meet you."
Morgan took Jacob's hand, still a little dazed by everything that happened in the past few minutes. "Morgan... Morgan Liesmith. I guess it's a pleasure." Though Jacob had apologised to him, he was still a little weary of Essyeth, nervously eyeing her now and then. But then he heard the Kikwi speak about exploring the tower. Seems like it had attracted more adventurerers. "You're here for the tower too? I guess I'm not the only one then... And you, errr, sir?" He asked, turning back to Jacob.
"Too?" Ronaldo's ears perked up at that. So he was not alone in his endeavors! Truly, the great ones worked in strange ways, but he was not one to question such great mysterious designs. And he could not fathom that this would be mere chance. "Well, let's just go then!" He said musically, pointing to the tower. "We're all here, and we've all the same objective! What better happenstance that this?"
"Right. Maybe tha person 'at sent me tha letter's in that tower." Jacob walks over to Eysseth and begins removing his equipment from the Wyvern's saddle. Swinging his sword a few times the guard sheaths it before grabbing his shield. Now fully equipped Jacob chuckles. "So after youns." The old Hylian motions for what looked like an entrance. Eysseth smiles as Ronaldo pets her. After he speaks the Wyvern carefully picks him up with her teeth and begins walking to the tower. 'Like little plant man. Little plant man come too.'
So they all had a common goal. Maybe for some slightly differing reasons, but at least they all had a mind to reach the top of the tower, so Morgan'd better profit from that as much as he could... Though the guard still intimidated him a little, and he knew absolutely nothing of the abilities of Ronaldo. He was tiny, sure, but who knew if the tiny fluffball had some terrifying secrets or tricks up his sleeve. He surpressed another yelp when Eysseth grabbed Ronaldo with her teeth, only letting out a tiny gasp, but the dragon didn't seem to plan on eating their newly found companion, much to his relief. "So I guess we just start climbing?" Morgan turned on his heel and started back the steep hill that gave access to the tower, a bounce in his step and a grin on his face at the thought of finally starting his self-imposed mission. And then he slipped and fell flat on his face. The hill had proven too steep for Hylian feet to simply walk upon, and too slick to climb, since there was nothing to hold on to. Morgan groaned and spat some sand from his mouth, but didn't get back up yet. It seemed his luck was already starting to turn...
Ronaldo was surprised at Eysseth's friendliness, but not unpleasantly. He enjoyed the gentle ride for now as Morgan tripped. At this, he tapped the lad's shoulder with his vuvuzela. "Hey, now, Mr. Liesmith! It's a bit early to be taking a rest. We've not even entered the tower yet, you know." His voice had the air of levity to it, but there was kindness, too. It was inscrutable whether the little Kikwi meant merely to lighten the mood or was sincerely concerned, or just wanted to say something to save him the wordless embarrassment, but the comment certainly seemed genuine... At least, as far as genuine concern ever went for him.
"Eysseth. Don't eat tha poor thing." Jacob laughs as Eysseth gives him a death glare still holding Ronaldo in her mouth. Eysseth stops her rather small stride and looks up to the looming tower of stone that they were about to enter. Seeing a door like object where the tower met the ground Jacob tries to push it open to no avail. "Blasted thin's shut tighter'an a vir..." Eysseth looks over to her Hylian and snorts telling him not to finish that sentence. "Alright, alright. Come 'ere Eysseth." The Wyvern gently puts down the plant man and walks over to Jacob. 'Bad joke. Wasn't funny.' Eysseth lowers her head to Jacob's level looking the Hylian in the eyes. 'Yes?' "Listen girl. I need ya ta fly up an see if ya can find a way in alright?" With a nod Eysseth gives a few powerful flaps of her wings before rising into the sky and circling the tower looking for a way in. Meanwhile Jacob kneels to Ronaldo. "Ya okay Mr. Ronaldo? Eysseth wasn't too rough was she?"
"Yeah, I'm fine... Totally... Fine." Morgan muttered against the ground, feeling his cheeks burn in shame. What a way to make an impression on people. At least the Kikwi seemed to be genuinely concerned. Not that it made him feel better at all. He pushed himself onto his knees, wiping the remaining sand and dirt off his face with the back of his hand. If this was an omen for the rest of their expedition into the tower, they might as well all just turn around and go back to wherever they came from. Morgan sighed, and looked up. Perhaps the wyvern could find a way in, though he wasn't entirely sure how he would be able to get up there...
"Goodness, no sir," replied Ronaldo brightly, leaning against his vuvuzela like a cane. His posture betrayed not one iota of doubt or worry at the initial assessment of the tower as impenetrable. For he knew that the Great Ones did not simply allow their champions to waste away here; it simply was not according to their will, and moreover, they did not appreciate being bored. Even now the faint whispers, the low sounds of mighty and terrible fingers tapping against a surface. There would be a way. There was always a way. "She is an affectionate one, isn't she?" the kikwi asked the armored man, still preserving a tone entirely unconcerned. "I'd say you're lucky to have such a companion." Then he called to Morgan. "Hoy, don't look so down, Sir Liesmith. I believe she'll be descending with good news in... just... a few... moments."
