Swimming Pool of Death (Darth and Inky)

The sun glinted in blinding spears off the surface of the water as a small crowd of Zora awaited their visitor. Quiet chattering echoed loudly around the area, and near the water's edge stood a Zora with several squid-like tentacles.

Yuku cradled her three children in their tank gently, talking to them in a low soothing voice as they bumped into eachother, swimming in abstract patterns around the tank. They were getting a little big for it- she'd need to get another one soon, by the looks. She took a moment to fret about that before wondering if it was disrespectful to smoke in here. Probably. It was a bad habit that she should probably have gotten rid of years ago, but it was rather calming and she liked the smell, even if most didn't and it got stuck in her scales and clothes.

She looked up, starting to get a little impatient. Sure, the Zora had arrived absurdly early, a long time before the midday they had invited the priestess to visit, but still! Yuku hated waiting.

Judith Vilcaron made a point of always being early to her appointments. She had never understood the concept of being 'fashionably late,' believing that tardiness only served to highlight one's own foolishness. To humiliate oneself in such a manner was unacceptable conduct for a priestess of the Goddess of Wisdom.

So it was that the young cleric found herself marching along the path to the Great Bay Temple at an hour most would have considered to be prior to lunchtime. Taking in the sights of the open road, Judith let out a contented sigh as she walked, admiring the lush greenery that surrounded her. A morning person by nature, she was nothing but cheerful as she approached her destination, and the knowledge that she was performing Nayru's will merely sweetened her mood.

A few days ago, a Nayru-worshipping congregation of Zoras had petitioned the Cult for aid, requesting the services of a priestess to assist them in baptizing the infant young of one of their number. As a task of great importance but little danger, the Archcanoness had chosen Judith to act as the Cult's envoy, citing her recent experiences working alongside the aquatic race. For her part, Judith had happily accepted this charge, welcoming the respite from the harrowing adventures in which she'd been immersed of late. No shadowy criminal organizations bent on destroying archives of forbidden secrets, no giant mechanical goats terrorizing the countryside. Just attending to her duties as one of Nayru's servants. Besides, this would be a wonderful opportunity to learn more about how other species venerated her Goddess! Judith had already been aware that Zora enclaves dedicated to Nayru existed, but had yet to interact with them for any great length of time... A burning curiosity had been stoked within her, now that she had the chance to do so.

When at last the Temple came into view, the acolyte paused to marvel at its grandeur. Zoras possessed a reputation for being an artistic people, and from what Judith could see, it was well-deserved. Walls of perfectly chiseled marble, adorned with shimmering Marks of Nayru... Expertly sculpted statues of the Goddess Herself in the guise of a Zora... Why, it almost rivaled the cathedral in Castle-Town!

Suddenly feeling very insignificant in the scheme of things, Judith hurried up the steps. She was both excited and nervous; on one hand, while the faithful of Lon Lon occasionally trickled into her abbey to listen to her sermons, she had never conducted any major ritual herself, and this would be her chance to rectify that. On the other hand, however, she prayed that the Zoras would not interpret the presence of an acolyte as an insult- Despite her lowly rank within the Cult itself, she was fully qualified to preside over a flock of her fellow worshippers and administer to their spiritual needs.

"H-Hello?" Judith called out as she reached the top of the stairway, perhaps a little louder than she would have liked.

As the call echoed through the halls, every single Zora present perked up as if they were dogs who had heard their master heralding his arrival. The chatter ceased immediately and Yuku clutched her children to her breast. It was time! Finally time! After all the chaos and disruption, it was finally time for her children to be placed under Nayru's protection. Checking the other Zora, making sure they weren't moving, Yuku stepped forward and opened the gilded door with its iconography of Jabu-Nayru, the syncretic depiction of the Zora guardian deity and the great goddess herself.
"Hello there," she said, then immediately started cursing how immature that would have sounded. Dammit, not a good start, Yuku. She debated starting again before deciding sod it and just moving on. "I would presume you were our priestess for today's events?"

Stupid, stupid! she mentally berated herself. No freaking kidding this was their priestess; she was dressed in robes and wore an amulet with the mark of Nayru upon it. Yuku was mildly impressed by their visitor's hair; a beautiful, rich shade of green that she wouldn't have expected to grow on a Hylian head. Hair in general fascinated Yuku sometimes. It appeared to grow straight out of their flesh, and she was still trying to figure out what purpose it served. Everything on a Zora was sculpted to perfection for their environment; sleek, thin bodies to cut through the water, fins for easier movement, caudal fins for propulsion, and in her own case tentacles for dexterity. It was almost as if Nayru had forseen her predicament and equipped her with exactly what she needed. Zora were made exactly right. Everything they needed, nothing they didn't. But that didn't seem to be the case with Hylians. What was the purpose of their toes? Why did they grow hair, why wasn't it a standardised colour, why did men grow it on their faces while women didn't? While Yuku didn't claim to understand the mysteries of how the Goddesses had made living things, sometimes she was perplexed by seemingly pointless attributes.

She abruptly realised she was staring as well as blocking the doorway and hurriedly stepped back.
"P-please, come in!" she stammered, flustered.

As the temple doors swung open to reveal a bespectacled Zora woman clad in an orange dress, Judith immediately noticed that her greeter possessed a most unusual feature: A handful of tentacles protruded from the Zora's scalp, giving her an appearance reminiscent of a squid. In all her dealings with the Cult's amphibious allies, the priestess had never encountered a Zora with such a 'hairstyle,' and the striking sight left her momentarily speechless.

So much for her experience with Zoras! Recovering quickly, Judith smiled and offered a brief curtsy, not wanting to make a faux pas so soon into the proceedings. She could make out a crowd of Zoras standing behind the first, all watching her intently. From this point onward, everything she did would reflect on her Sisters. As an ordained servant of Nayru, she had to set an example and be the standard to which all followers of the Goddess would aspire. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to banish her doubts, she opened her mouth to speak.

"Yes, that is correct." Judith replied, nodding. Then, projecting her voice so that the others could hear, she continued, "I am Judith Vilcaron, a priestess in sworn service to the Cult of Nayru. It is my great honour and pleasure to walk among these hallowed halls with you. I pray that Mother Nayru finds you all in good health." Fine words, yet not so embellished as to be patronizing. She hoped.

As the doorwoman stepped back to allow her entry, the Hylian bowed her head respectfully before striding inside... whereupon she caught a glimpse of the tank of water the Zora woman was carrying. Having never seen a Tadzora in the flesh (in the scale would probably be more appropriate, she thought to herself), Judith's eyes widened in wonder.

"These are the children to be blessed, then? Oh, they're so adorable!"

"And you, miss v-Vilcaron," Yuku said as Judith passed her. Wow, what a formal manner of speech! Yuku sometimes felt that her wild earlier life had drastically affected her personality and demeanour. She often found herself talking as if she had no upbringing whatsoever, as if she was some random person off the street half-drunk and babbling nonsense.

When Judith complimented the triplets, Yuku tilted her head and offered a warm smile, glad for the icebreaker.
"Why thank you," she said sweetly. "The violet one is Maku, the green is Taku, and the blue is Saku. They're the loves of my life,"
She tilted the container up and opened a small hatch; the triplets swam hurriedly to the top clamouring for attention. Illegible, high-pitched squealing sounds issued from the children, especially Maku, who kept swimming into the side of the tank towards Judith.
"Aww, I think she likes you," Yuku pushed her glasses back up her nose with one hand. She walked towards the pool, with its great mechanical platforms and its sculpted fountains. She breathed in the scent of the clear, cool salt water. While Yuku had to admit she preferred fresh water- the salt tended to dry funny between her scales- there was just no beating that rich scent to clear out the sinuses.

"Oh? Perhaps we have a priestess in the making! I would happily tutor her in the arts of magic when she comes of age, if she remains so fond of me." Judith remarked good-naturedly, flushing slightly at the woman's insistence that Maku had already taken a liking to her. Perhaps it was presumptuous of her to make the offer, even in jest, but she knew that even the smallest of signs could be a portent from Nayru Herself... and that the Zora had a sense of humour. She looked up to meet the woman's gaze once again.

"They seem quite healthy! You must be very proud of them." The Zora infants were endearingly energetic, far more so than any Hylian child of comparable age she had ever met. As distinct from each other as they were, though, Judith couldn't help but wonder if there were any visual cues that could be used to tell what gender each Tadzora was. According to the woman, Maku was female, but the priestess could not make heads nor tails of the other two. She would have to ask at some point before the ceremony, to avoid baptizing Taku and Saku incorrectly.

Speaking of which, her conversation partner's words indicated that she was the children's mother, and Judith was instantly filled with a newfound respect for the woman. Motherhood was a tricky subject for the young priestess. Certainly, she had helped raise her brothers following the untimely death of her own mother, but childbirth was... not for her. It frightened her, honestly. And while Zoras hatched from eggs, it was no less brave to shoulder the burden of caring for them. She admired the courage it must have taken to nurture the trio of Tadzoras.

As the woman left to refresh herself by the temple pools, Judith took advantage of the lull in conversation to exchange pleasantries with the rest of the congregation, so as not to offend them. Once that was complete, however, she found herself wandering back to Yuku's side. As the mother of the children, she was one of the most important people here, and she had seemed rather amenable to conversation.

It was strange, Judith thought. Hylians and Zoras were natural allies- their respective affinities for land and water ensured that the two races could pursue a policy of expansion without fear of infringing upon each others' territory. Yet in spite of their long-held friendship, the priestess felt that there was still so much they did not know about one another. Like, for instance, how did the Zora woman's glasses stay clear when she was underwater? They must have been composed of some special, waterproofed material. Maybe she could acquire a few pairs as gifts for those elderly Sisters whose eyes had begun to fail them. Another question for the list.

Seating herself next to the edge of the pool, Judith flashed Yuku another smile, less timid than before.

"Forgive me, I don't believe I caught your name earlier...?"

Yuku laughed.
"Aww, hear that, Maku? Miss Judith wants to teach you magic!"
She had a sudden flash of a grown Maku in Judith's priestess robes, and she nearly took a step back at the vividness of the image. She had never really thought about the futures of her children before. It felt like such a long way off. She stared into the tank. What would her children be? She would rather like one of them to become a musician like she had been, but with the inhibitions she had lacked. It would cut her to the soul if she had to watch her children make the mistakes she had made. She shook her head. What was she thinking? It wasn't her place to dream up her children's futures! Admittedly, Maku did seem to like the priestess, but for all she knew the priestess was wearing a certain colour Maku liked.
What, white? she snarked at herself. What a stupid idea.

She resisted the urge to dangle her flippered feet in the water, even though it looked beautiful and clear and perfect. There was a time and a place for everything, and this was neither! She jumped slightly when Judith approached her again; she hadn't even noticed the priestess wander away, to be guiltily honest. When Judith enquired about her name, Yuku winced. How had she not even thought to introduce herself? That was basic freaking etiquette!
"I'm so sorry," she stammered. "My name is Yuku,"

"Please, there is nothing to forgive. I am delighted to make your acquaintance, Yuku." Judith reassured the woman, hoping to put her fears to rest. Everything about the Zora's body language suggested that something was troubling her... Was it merely a mother's anxiety, brought about by the fact that it was to be a momentous day for her children? Or was she subconsciously wary about having an outsider in her flock's midst? Both would be understandable concerns. However, as a priestess, it was Judith's duty to set the minds of the faithful at ease.

Shifting slightly in her seat, the Hylian acolyte dipped her bare feet into the pool, exhaling as she did so. After hours of hard travel on the road, feeling the cool water on her soles was pure bliss. Given the way Yuku had been eyeing the sacred basin, she likely wanted to do the same, but was holding back out of a misplaced sense of decorum. Judith figured that if she did it first, it would give the Zora the go-ahead to follow suit.

"Ahh... I'm glad I was chosen for this mission. I live farther inland, so I rarely see large bodies of water. They are so vast... A reminder of our Goddess' everlasting glory." She stared wistfully at the pool for a moment, then looked back at Yuku. "If you don't mind my asking, have you always been a believer?"

Yuku relaxed slightly, joining the priestess and letting her flippers sink into the water. She was slightly embarrassed that she still felt the urge to wait until someone else had done it before she did the same. She felt the suckers on her feet relax and expand; she let her shoulders fall out of their stiff, locked position. The Zora smoothed the wrinkles out of her dress as the other Zora sat around them, all draping their feet into the pool. It was perhaps a humorous sight; the beginnings of a poor joke. Five Zora and a Hylian walk into a temple. Yuku leaned forward, opening the hatch and allowing Maku, Taku and Saku to spring free into the water. Maku and Taku looked to be having an argument; they were shoving eachother with their stubby, vestigial arms. “Play nice,” Yuku warned, and the Tadzora somehow turned their argument into a game of tag, zooming around the pond as if powered by pure and unrefined lightning.

Yuku smiled as Judith spoke. “I would hate to live so far away from the water,” she admitted. “And not just because we need water to survive. There is nothing like the beauty of the ocean-floor. Until you see the glorious colours of the fish and the coral, all so crisp and bright...ah, such a sight.” She blushed slightly; here she was, waxing philosophical again. She tilted her head at Judith’s question.

“Hmm,” she said. “A believer, yes. A strong believer? Not always. Before I laid the triplets, I wasn’t a particularly religious person. I had never seen the need for it, if I’m honest. I suppose I thought, yeah, Nayru made us, but what we do now has nothing to do with her. It was only after I had my children that I realised that we weren’t as emancipated from the Goddess as I had once thought. I realised that we needed them to help us when we couldn’t do it ourselves,” She looked anxiously around. She felt like she was monopolising the conversation, but the other Zora seemed to be talking amongst themselves. Truth be told, she was surprised they had agreed to witness the ceremony; she rather suspected it was more due to pity for the once-popular singer than due to friendship bonds.

"I understand completely... Such an experience would change anyone. It really is amazing how a single event can shape our entire lives, isn't it?" Judith replied thoughtfully, watching the Tadzoras as they playfully chased each other around the pool. She leaned back slightly to relax, reaching for her Bottomless Bottle and having a sip of the water within before continuing. "Actually, I was the same way. As a child, I certainly believed in the Golden Goddesses, but I was never particularly devout, either. It was not until my teenage years, when I witnessed Nayru's boundless compassion and everlasting glory for myself, that I realized it was my calling to serve Her. That was not so long ago, but now that I've sworn my sacred oaths... I feel as if I have always walked in Mother Nayru's light, as if I have always been a priestess."

Returning her perpetually full canteen to her sash, Judith cast her gaze heavenward. "I think that the ability to reflect on the past and reevaluate oneself is perhaps Nayru's greatest gift to mortals, for the surest sign of Wisdom is being able to recognize when you must change your perspective. How else would we evolve as intelligent beings? After all, one cannot rectify a problem if one does not realize it exists." She paused, then chuckled at her own verbosity. "Oh, listen to me! Forgive me, Yuku. I can get a bit carried away when I discuss the nature of the Goddess and Her teachings. What I meant to say is, I'm glad that you found Nayru in spite of your initial misgivings. It speaks volumes about your character. Good ones."

Figuring it would be best not to go overboard with her preaching, the young priestess decided to switch subjects for now, setting aside the divine in favour of the mundane. She had already identified something the two women had in common, and she had an idea of where to go next in order to foster a sense of kinship between them.

"I must confess, though, I am somewhat jealous of you! Long have I wished to visit the Zora Domain, yet procuring the means to breathe underwater has proven difficult. Alas, Mermaid Suits are rare, and few of my superiors are willing to part with theirs... They too have said that the beauty of the ocean floor is truly unique. I fear I will have to take your word for it, until the day I can see it for myself."

She tilted her head.
"If you wanted, after the ceremony, I could show you the inside of this temple. Many of the gilded structures inside depict the world below the ocean. It is not as beautiful as the real thing, but even so, the craftsmanship is painstakingly entrancing,"
She chewed her lip worriedly. It had been a long time since Yuku had held such a deep and meaningful conversation with anybody, and she was worried she would botch it. The temptation to retrieve her pipe was strong, but she curled her webbed toes and clenched her teeth, resisting the urge. She had no desire to embarrass herself by depositing a coughed-up lung in Judith's lap, which was prone to happen when Yuku smoked. Some had suggested that was the reason that her children's limbs seemed delayed in growing; Yuku dismissed this, of course. How was something that affected the lungs supposed to affect eggs? Preposterous.

She watched as the triplets began duck-diving under the water together, chittering in that odd language only infants seemed to understand, and forgot as they grew older.
"Come, now," she soothed them. "It's nearly time for the ceremony. Don't swim too far away, eh?"
Taku made a noise suspiciously akin to a huff as he surfaced again, dragging an irritated Saku behind him.

Beaming in appreciation at Yuku's hospitality, Judith wasted no time in accepting her invitation. The inner sanctum of a Zora temple! Were she not expected to be the very picture of composure, she might have gone giddy with excitement. Partly because the tour would satisfy her scholarly cravings, but more than that, she must have been making a good impression to even receive such an offer so quickly! Everything was proceeding swimmingly, she thought, internally pardoning herself for the terrible pun.

"I would love that, I think. If the quality is anything like that of the exterior, I fear you'll have to pull me away!" The priestess replied warmly, chuckling. She peered out at the frolicking Tadzoras once more, mystified by their apparent intellect in responding to their mother. With the mood as pleasant as it was, now would be a good time to field those questions she'd been waiting to ask, she figured.

"Their ability to understand you is remarkable. I would not expect the same of a Hylian infant. The blessings of Nayru at work, perhaps? Speaking of which..." Judith raised her hand and pointed to the Tadzoras. "Tell me, what gender are the children? I need to know for the ceremony. You mentioned that Maku was a she, but I am not so sure about Taku or Saku..." She indicated each Tadzora with a stroke of her finger, slightly proud of herself for remembering which was which. "... I see that Saku has the tail fin more commonly seen in males, but..."

Rather out of her depth when it came to Zora physiology, Judith could only look imploringly toward Yuku for aid in this matter.

Yuku laughed awkwardly, raising a hand to habitually fix her glasses for the nth time.
"Oh, I don't think they understand me," she said lightly. "Or if they do, they spend a remarkable amount of time ignoring what I say. Occasionally they'll catch my meaning, but most of the time they just kind of wander around doing whatever pleases them the most. I don't know, but they're sweet nonetheless,"
She flushed in surprise when she realised that she had completely forgotten that Zora gender could be ambiguous at the best of times, let alone when said Tadzora hadn't developed the lower half of their bodies yet.

"I am so sorry!" she said, rather embarrassed that she could have forgotten something so central. "Maku is indeed a she, while Taku and Saku are my little boys. Taku inherited my tentacles, so I can understand your confusion,"
She looked at her triplets once more; Maku was doing that interested stare that seemed so common in infants, her face in a bewildered sort of smile as she fixed her large, dark eyes on their visitor. It was probably because they had never seen anyone who wasn't a Zora, except from the other side of a glass tank. She would likely have to find a new solution to the water problem soon- since she spent quite a lot of time travelling, she needed some way to carry clean water around with her for her children to breathe.

It would be a relief when their bodies finally developed the ability to breathe in air, that was for sure! She felt a slight trickle of nervousness as she realised that Judith likely wouldn't approve of the tank, or the reasoning for requiring the tank. She bit her lip, briefly imagining the priestess' scandalised face if she found out this so-called follower of Nayru was a thief and a liar. That wasn't particularly in accordance with Nayru's doctrine. Not for the first time, she wondered if she could find work at a temple- where most occupations would pay Yuku their haggled-down, cheated wages that would never support her three children, she imagined a temple would have more compassion for her and her triplets.

Again with the apologies! Was she really that imposing? Judith knew that being a woman of the cloth required a certain degree of charisma, and that a good priestess could evoke awe in any audience, her words charged with the authority of her position and the strength of her convictions... But driving fear into the hearts of the faithful was not a skill she cared to develop. Unconsciously wringing her hands in distress, the young acolyte moved to defuse the situation.

"I-It's fine, really. I should have asked sooner, and it is my fault for not being better prepared in the first place." Accepting the blame for her own lack of understanding was the responsible thing to do. The gaps in her knowledge regarding other races were rather frustrating, but it was such a difficult subject to broach. Books could only teach so much, and even then they were often tainted by the biases of the author. The best way to discover what was true and was not was to observe a race firsthand... which was what she was doing right now, she reminded herself. Fortunately, Yuku seemed an amenable woman, not liable to take offense at her ignorance.

She was about to add that she still thought the children were very intelligent for their age, when suddenly Judith caught a glimpse of a small ripple at the far edge of the pool, as if something were stirring beneath the water. How strange... did the Zora keep fish in the pool? The priestess quickly removed her feet from the water, wary of having her toes nibbled by a belligerent barracuda.

Yuku winced. Uh-oh, this had the potential to become a polite fight.
“Don’t fret,” she said reassuringly. “Zora biology isn’t exactly the most intriguing subject. I can’t blame you for being unable to tell! And those books are full of idiocy sometimes...I found one once that suggested that Zora lungs were located in our head fins! How foolish! Some Zora, like myself, don’t even have head fins...I really can’t hold it against you that you couldn’t tell their genders,”
(And if she was perfectly honest, the only reason she could tell Hylian women from their men was their chests. She wasn’t going to admit that, though!)

She yawned widely, looking at the green-haired priestess beside her. She seemed to be a genuinely lovely person, not at all the kind that Yuku usually found herself associating with. Was it right, for a thief liar whore person like Yuku to be around such a friendly priestess? She bit her lip, her pointed teeth sliding against the flesh. These thoughts had no place here today.

She jumped slightly when Judith abruptly retracted her feet from the water.
“Is something wrong?” she asked with some trepidation, wondering if she should grab the tank and sweep her children into it.

Now that her gaze was fixated on the other side of the pool, Judith could see that there were multiple ripples in the water, each rapidly growing in size. Unable to stifle a growing sense of unease, which Yuku's evident confusion only fueled further, Judith recalled a particular passage she'd once read in a book about siegecraft.

When beset by an attacking force that included sappers, a castle's defenders could protect themselves from subterranean sabotage by placing bowls of water at key points throughout the halls- if ripples ever spontaneously appeared in the water, it meant that an enemy force was likely tunneling below that area, the vibrations produced by their efforts causing a reaction in the water above. What if that same principle was at work here?

Who could possibly stand to gain from doing so, though? An enterprising thief? That seemed like a monumental undertaking when there were surely much easier ways to gain entry to the temple. Judith couldn't wrap her head around it. Maybe she was just being paranoid, as usual. Still... the pool was large, and those ripples were relatively big, considering. If someone really were undermining the temple's foundation, they would have to be... almost directly underneath...

Her train of thought vanished as the ripples abruptly stopped, leaving the priestess rather perplexed. She peered into the pool, fully prepared to attribute her fears to an overactive imagination. Nothing but calm water and the playful Tadzoras. Relieved, Judith was just about to turn back to Yuku and sheepishly beg her pardon when, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a hint of movement at the bottom of the pool... as well as the glint of metal.

Blanching, she whirled to face her conversation partner, staff in hand.

"M-Miss Yuku! Please, get the children out of-"

Her warning came too late, the remainder of the sentence drowned out by a loud splash, followed immediately by a bestial roar as the first of the invaders broke the surface.

Technically, Judith had not been far off the mark- The creature that now floated before her was a fish, in a manner of speaking... or at least closely resembled one. A foul River Zora, its sharp teeth bared in a sinister smile, leered menacingly at the two women, its eyes darting between them as it hefted a steel-tipped javelin in its scaly fingers and bellowed out a war cry, which was swiftly echoed as more and more of his vile brood sprang out of the water.

"DEATH TO JABU-JABU AND ALL WHO FOLLOW HIM!"

"NO MERCY! BUTCHER THEM!"

"KILL THE HERETICS!"

Having announced his intent to slaughter every single inhabitant of the temple, the lead River Zora proceeded to hurl his weapon at Judith and Yuku, drawing a pair of hatchets as he swam for the edge, his kin close behind him.

Calculating the missile's trajectory as best she could, Judith dived to the side to avoid it. Part of her wanted to push Yuku out of the way, shielding the Zora with her own body... but if she did that, Yuku would never retrieve her children before the River Zoras reached them. It was likewise tempting to fire a Magic Bolt into the water, exploiting its conductivity and the River Zoras' own innate weakness to electricity to neutralize the entire raiding party in one fell swoop, but such a move would surely result in the death of the Tadzoras.

Cursing herself for her hesitation, Judith scrambled to her feet the instant she hit the floor, praying that her Goddess would deliver the innocent from harm... and smite those who would inflict it upon the faithful.

Yuku would be deathly ashamed of herself later for her immediate reaction to the explosion of screaming. She thought she should race towards her children and scoop them up. She thought she should duck under the incoming javelins and flares of fire that were whistling through the air. Instead she froze, her eyes wide as the temple seemed to suddenly explode with violence, every single thought in her head freezing up immediately. She just barely managed to avoid the javelin that would otherwise have impaled her throat and snapped her neck, tripping over the hem of her dress as she dropped to her knees and grabbed the glass tank. Her children had scattered, shrieking; Yuku threw herself into the water, kicking out with her flippers in an uneven rhythm.

She found Taku first, cowering behind one of the carved statues, and swept him into the tank.
"Where's Maku and Saku?" she asked, her voice high with fear, but Taku clearly couldn't understand her. Cursing vehemently, Yuku whirled only to come face to face with a River Zora. She yelped in shock as the green-scaled creature barrelled into her, knocking her backwards and the tank out of her grasp. The two Zora ploughed into the bottom of the pool, the bricks scratching painfully at their flesh, and Yuku snarled and kicked her attacker in the chest in an effort to get him off of her. His claws dug into her throat, and she whipped around a tentacle and ripped his spear from his grip before he could plunge it into her chest. His venomous snarl sent a shiver wracking up her spine, physically jolting her as she wrapped several tentacles around his throat and yanked backwards, away from her; his clawed hands immediately went to his neck and sliced in between her scales. She hissed in pain and released him, hoping that he would reel backwards, desperately trying to recover, just like she was.

Apparently not. He was on her again in an instant, gripping her throat in a furious lock that had her gasping for breath, the water suddenly choking up her throat in a way it never had before, and then she heard a piercing shriek that was much too high-pitched to belong to one of the River Zora. A newfound terror surged into her bones as she realised what was happening.
Oh Nayru. Maku!

Like any good mother would, Yuku had quite literally dived into peril to protect her progeny. It was not a course of action Judith would have advised under the circumstances, but she could not fault the Zora woman for following her maternal instincts. For a parent to outlive one of their children, let alone three... She shuddered to even think of the unimaginable sorrow that would accompany such a tragedy, and she vowed not to let that happen on her watch. However, before she could go to Yuku's aid, the priestess would have to deal with the River Zoras who were already swarming out of the water. They had to be put to flight, and swiftly.

That was easier said than done, of course. Routing a River Zora warband, particularly one already whipped into a frenzy by religious rhetoric, would have been a tall order to begin with, but the complete pandemonium that these uninvited guests had incited only served to make the task all the more daunting. The members of the Sea Zora congregation had either fled or rushed to meet the attackers head-on, setting upon their ancestral enemies with knives and other personal armaments, and now the air was filled with cries of panic, pain, and profanity. These people were not warriors... They would be slaughtered en masse if things were left as they are.

Fortunately, she was in a position to make a difference. Judith took aim with her staff, her face hardening into a grim mask of resolve. She was being tested, not in matters of ritual and scripture as she had expected, but rather in the qualities that defined a true priestess: The ability to remain composed during a crisis and act as a beacon of hope for those around her.

Judith was determined not to be proven wanting.

"Vile invaders! You are the only heretics I see, and your transgressions shall not go unpunished! FOR NAYRU!"

Allowing her dismay to be replaced by a righteous anger, the priestess directed her ire toward the first River Zora she laid eyes on; said ire took the form of a well-channeled Magic Bolt. The bestial amphibian had scarcely climbed out of the pool and drawn a weapon when Judith's projectile collided with it, producing an agonized shriek and a sizzling noise as it pitched backwards into the water, its wet scales altogether too eager to accommodate the arcane electricity.

Refusing to waste precious seconds celebrating her success, Judith pivoted on her foot, whirling just in time to see a second River Zora bearing down on her, a large double-bladed axe in hand. Knowing that to stay still was to be cleaved in twain, she immediately moved to counter the incoming threat. With no time to adjust her aim to freeze her foe in his tracks, the priestess instead swung her left hand out in front of her, then sidestepped to the right as her opponent leapt into the air to deliver a mighty two-handed chop.

On cue, Nayru's Affection materialized where Judith had been standing mere seconds before, and the River's Zora's momentum carried his arms straight into the magical barrier's razor-sharp edge, which sliced deep into the softer underside of his scaly limbs. The axe slipped from his grasp, and he clasped his weapon hand against his new injury on the opposite arm in a vain attempt to staunch the flow of blood. Pleased to see brute force so readily thwarted by sorcery, Judith raised her staff and floored the Zora with a casting of Ice, the frigid orb generated by the spell slamming into his head with a sickening thud.

Her offensive options temporarily spent, Judith surveyed the battlefield, grimacing. Incapacitating two of the raiders was a start, but the chaotic melee still seemed to be going poorly for the ill-equipped Sea Zoras, which was bad news indeed. Until she could cast again, she needed the Sea Zoras to shoulder the bulk of the fighting. Thankfully, she had one last unconventional strategy up her sleeve.

Planting her feet apart and spreading her arms, Judith began to sing the holy hymn known as Nayru's Wisdom, struggling to make herself heard over the din of combat and hoping that others would join in. Though rarely used as a war chant, the song conferred Mother Nayru's blessing upon all who heard it, enhancing the potency of their own magic for a short time. Not only would this make her spells recharge faster, but if the Sea Zoras truly followed Nayru, it was likely that they boasted some mages among their number, who would also benefit from the psalm. Even if there weren't, though, her performance would still bolster the spirits of the faithful, while weakening those of the pagan River Zoras. It was never Wise to dismiss the impact of morale on a battle.

Nayru willing, this would turn the tides...

A faint song reached Yuku's ears through the churning water, and she sucked in a sharp breath as something seemed to surge around her. Baring her teeth, she kicked her attacker harshly away and brought both hands up, the water suddenly pushed aside by the wall of crystalline blue that formed in front of her as she cast Nayru's Affection. The wall shattered, and her attacker shrieked as he was impaled by shards of the magical glass. Yuku whirled and kicked out, swimming back down to her tank and grabbing it, fumbling to strap the unwieldy object to her belt so as to leave her hands free to fight.

When she had managed to strap the tank containing Taku to her belt, she drew her scimitar, the flaring lights of magic above her lancing off the blade like some twisted, perverse lightshow to mark the occasion. She dove towards where she had heard Maku, finding her daughter cringing in a tiny crevasse while a River Zora inserted a hand to try and scoop her out. Hesitating for only a moment, muttering a prayer, Yuku lifted her scimitar and drove it into the River Zora's back. It screeched and struggled, and Yuku held on as it slowly weakened, blood seeping out to dye the water a sickly colour.

She reached down and managed to pinch the end of Maku's stingray-like fin, ignoring the tiny spike jabbing into her finger as she pulled her daughter free. She abruptly wondered when she had gotten so big- she was the size of both of Yuku's fists together now. As soon as the Tadzora realised who had hold of her, she stopped flailing and allowed herself to be dumped into the tank. Yuku swam back towards the centre of the churning pool, dodging another attacker in her search for her third child. Where was Saku?

Truly, Nayru's vengeance was both swift and terrible. The high-pitched whine of charged magical energies echoed throughout the hall as the more sorcerously inclined Sea Zoras, emboldened by Judith's display, stepped forward to unleash a torrent of spells upon the hapless River Zoras. Not to be outdone, the members of the congregation who had found themselves caught in close combat used their amplified Electric Auras to devastating effect. Even the Temple's noncombatants joined in, adding their voices to the chorus of Judith's song, cheering their fellow worshippers on. Half a dozen River Zoras fell under the arcane onslaught, their bodies plunging into the waters of the blood-soaked pool.

As the attackers' momentum faltered, Judith spied her opposite number among the ranks of the enemy: A tall River Zora whose belt was adorned with a bizarre array of idols and fetishes, marking him as a tribal priest. The foul shaman spewed a fireball from his mouth, catching an unlucky Sea Zora in the chest, then bellowed out a strange war call that the Hylian priestess could not decipher the meaning of. At once, the remaining barbarians broke off their engagements, opting rather to rush straight past the confused defenders by any means necessary. For a moment, Judith worried that they were attempting to harm the unarmed civilians among the congregation, but they ignored them too, fleeing deeper into the temple proper.

That bothered her. Not that they were retreating, she had expected that. For a hunter-gatherer society, the dual concerns of resource scarcity and competition from rival tribes meant that losing too many warriors would have an adverse impact upon said society's long-term survival. These River Zoras had likely expected a slaughter, not the stiff resistance they had actually encountered. Given the casualties they had sustained, it was perfectly natural for them to cut their losses and run.

But why, then, were they advancing further into enemy territory, rather than exfiltrating via the way they had come? Surely they would be cornered and defeated in detail. What was their aim? Judith frowned and brought her staff to bear, picking off a straggler who'd fallen behind the main group with a fresh Magic Bolt. She could only surmise that they had some wicked goal of religious significance, if they were willing to risk this many able-bodied fighters on it.

Should she give chase? No, what was she thinking? Yuku needed her help! The children might still be in danger! Leaving the mop-up to the other Sea Zoras, Judith turned and dashed toward the pool, shaking her head, her earlier reservations about having her toes bitten forgotten. She had never fancied herself as much of a swimmer, but when lives were on the line, she could manage. Leaping into the water, Judith gasped sharply as her body was enveloped by the still-warm blood of the nearby corpses, which clouded her view of the depths below.

Taking a deep breath, Judith ducked her head below the surface and attempted to send a Message to her erstwhile conversation partner.

"M-Miss Yuku? Are you there?"