The Ebony Portal and the Colossus Arm [Skyreach Dungeon]

Discussion in 'Southern Hyrule' started by Doc Genz, Jan 24, 2014.

  1. Doc Genz

    Doc Genz frozen again Moderator

    Messages:
    858
    Trophy Points:
    28
    3DS Friend Code:
    4081-5508-8152
    As he said his last line, the hall quaked with thud. It seemed the tower was rife with life. From the outside, the rigid tower seemed dead and haunted, but the numerous creatures within were itching to run amok. The hiss that exuded the walls reminded them of what lurked on the top floor. Lucia let out a breath and relaxed on Julius' back.

    The tower had a certain shape to it, making the room conform closely to the outer walls. It was clear the area on the other side of the new door was small. As they approached, they soon learned that there was no mistake in the architecture. What awaited them in the small enclosure was a ladder to the next floor.

    Julius eased himself up the incline. The ladder was so tiered that it was more like a steep, climbable stairway. The kind like the little ramp with rungs your outdoor playhouse would have. You weren't rich enough for an outdoor playhouse, however. Lucia held tight to his neck as they cautiously entered the next floor. What awaited them was a complete surprise. A haunting breeze whisked the suddenly clean air. From inside the new arched doorway came a soft giggle.

    Lucia's mouth opened wide as she gasped at the sight. Maybe it was because of the enclosure, or some lack of danger on this particular floor. In a huge basin of glowing water sat a fairy in a scant cloth. She was absurdly giddy and relaxed considering their location. The Great Fairy beckoned them to come forward. She spread her wings wide and welcomed them into the fountain.

    "Do not be afraid, heroic ones. I have purified this floor as best I could. With nowhere else to flee, this chamber has sealed me for many weeks. It is you who are saving me, and not the other way around. So feel free to rest and replenish in my pool." she softly hummed to the pair.

    Lucia cast aside all of her doubts and hopped down into the water. Trap or not, she was getting her bath one way or another. The water instantly soothed her, as she remained surprised that this would even be here. Lucia gasped again as the deep gash in her arm stopped bleeding and closed up. Putting her book aside, Lucia let herself submerge into the steamy water. The Great Fairy chuckled again.

    "Oh dear. You both did so well against that monster. I have something here that might help you reach the top of this evil place." she congratulated them, smiling.

    The fairy reached out her arm and waved a trail of glitter. A bright light formed into a box and slowly materialized into a chest. Lucia crawled through the water and popped open the lid. What was inside wasn't so bad, but Lucia didn't recognize it. It was a little trio of red stones. Lucia held them up and looked into them. They were smooth and solid like gemstones. They radiated an aura of heat as they made contact with her hands.

    "A friend of mine passed the message to me. You two are on an important mission. She improved your weapon, Lucia. If you look closely, there's inlays on the surface. Fastened to the item, these stones will give you power. With power comes good fortune, you know."

    Lucia looked over to Julius. She waded over and laid the stones in his palm. He would know better than anyone how to combine them with the boomerang. Unwilling to stay too long, the two hurried for the next ladder. Maybe later they would find time to affix the stones. Lucia took this chance to form a crude spear with her Infinite Novel. Whatever would come next simply had to be dangerous. There was yet another thud as the approached the new doorway. But what they found was beyond the scope of their imagination.

    The thud that they heard had been coming from the club of an ape. He was slamming a large wooden table with his massive blunt instrument. There were six other monkeys with similar wooden weapons around the table. The seven apes were playing a card game. Whenever the leader lost a hand, he would throw a fit and slam the table. The leader was especially bigger than the monkeys, a muscular baboon with a crudely made crown of wicker vines. The card game continued as they failed to notice the two intruders.

    "EEEEK EEEEEEEK EEEEK!" shouted the leader, slamming his face with his palms. He had just gone all in and inevitably drawn a terrible hand.

    He had no luck. He slammed his face. This baboon was a total disgrace. The six monkeys screamed and chattered as they reveled in total victory over their master. But soon, the baboon took offense. He slapped the monkey to his left hard in the face. The monkey teetered and fell to the side as his stool toppled. Into the next monkey his head bashed, and so on until every monkey had been headbutted by the one directly to their right. They had to learn who number one was.

    KING BABOOZLE
    The leader of the bunch, the head baboon flew into a rage and stomped on the table. He had sensed the intruders first. He shrieked and pointed a long, primitive finger to the entrance of the room. Surrounding the card table was a mixture of stones and logs, similarly on an expanse of earth much like the last couple of chambers. It seemed the natural theme was required even inside a building such as this. The monkeys took up their clubs and crooks and turned menacingly toward the front of the room. King Baboozle bellowed for the fight to begin. He took position behind the line to command his fare.
  2. Cloud

    Cloud friend admin

    Messages:
    1,023
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Member:
    this dick
    Julius dipped his feet into the fairy's fountain. It felt nice. For a moment, he let all of his troubles wash away -- the impending destruction of Kokiri Forest, troubles with the Guard, the Northern Offensive, and all the weird things that seemed to have been happening as of late. No. It was time to relax now.

    Soon, Lucia brought him the three gems. "Fire gems," he'd responded, studying them for just a moment. "You can tell by this," he drew his blade and struck one of the three with the edge of his blade. "That red glow, see? Feel how warm they are," he handed them back. He had such devotion to making weapons of all kinds -- maybe he could retire soon, and live out the rest of his days as a smith... yeah, that'd be nice... He laid back for a bit.

    It wasn't long, however, as duty called once more. It was certainly odd. Within the past day, he had met creatures of incredible, mythical power -- whom most ordinary Hylians would never dream of meeting. Well, Julius certainly wasn't ordinary, at least. He brought his feet back to his boots. They were cold. He wished he had socks. Soon, they were clanking up the staircase, saying their departures to the Great Fairy. How kind of her. He certainly could not let her efforts be in vain.

    Soon, they came upon a chamber full of literal chimps. The scene was comical -- whatever force there was here obviously had a sense of humour. As the apes all headbutted one another, Julius let a small laugh loose before he noticed Lucia carrying a small spear. "They're apes, dear," he said, readying his blade. "They're faster -- and stronger -- than you might suspect."

    A club met his shield in nearly record time. It cracked! across its surface -- good thing that these weren't metal, then... He noticed the lead chimp standing behind the overturned table. How in Nayru's name did these chimps know how to play cards, anyways? It didn't matter. Julius thought, if he took out the king ape, perhaps the fight might be over... but to leave Lucia by herself? Nonsense. He'd been 'hired,' in a loose definition of the term, as a bodyguard. He could at least look the part.

    His steel -- or silver, to be more precise -- flashed before quickly jabbing into a monkey's gullet. His shield slammed into another -- fast, strong, and resilient. Interesting. He sliced into the same one, before a sweeping blow from his shield knocked it back more than a few feet. It seemed it was out for the count.

    Another one leapt onto his shield, latching onto it with three of it appendages. It snarled in his face while he tried to shake it off. A club lingered close to his body, yet so far away. "Lucia!" He shouted, trying to shake the primate from his shield. He kept slashing them down as they advanced. He wondered how the king would fair.
  3. Doc Genz

    Doc Genz frozen again Moderator

    Messages:
    858
    Trophy Points:
    28
    3DS Friend Code:
    4081-5508-8152
    "If I may be so bold, I do hoof you learn not to make such reckless risks. . . in the afterlife."

    A large blade made of solidified darkness pierced the Great Fairy's back. . . all the way through her chest. Violet tears like sunlight welled out from under her brow. A beastly, muscular arm contracted with the large blade. The blade faded into small embers of reverse-light. The Lynel trotted over the withering corpse.

    "My King. . . forgive me for overlooking this detail. Be there any more divines in our new domain, I will remove them swiftly. I don't smell any more Great Fairies around here. You've outdone yourself, Manaku. But how shall I bridle this threat? Our Kalle Demos has fallen. . . might there be others still alive? It is no matter, I must get back to the troops. They cannot roam well on their own in this fog." he mused to himself over the sputtering body. With a blow on his horn, he uncovered a portal in the chamber and set back off to the blackened woods.


    The legion of apes held fast. Baboozle rallied his troop over to the left flank. They formed a loose circle around their fallen comrade as they feverishly trounced and crowed. King Baboozle wailed. . . was he commanding them in some ape-ish language? Lucia attempted to parse it with her Language of Fauna, but. . . was he speaking in code? His chattering just sounded like madness to her. But the chimps, they moved to his sounds as if following orders. They gathered in a line and flailed their heavy clubs and staves. What madness was this? They seemed to be blocking their deceased monkey casualty.

    Lucia fled once more behind Julius' back, frantically clutching her spear. Lucia clenched her teeth, her eyes widened. The sound of a blasting horn shook the floor. What horrible noise would come next? It was getting harder to predict when a sound was likely to spook her. But this only served as a distraction for the two. The rallying apes closed their line and advanced on Julius, threatening his guard. During the blare of the horn, the heroes did not notice the baboon begin cradling his fallen chimp. There was not sympathy in his eyes. The King's eyes were instead filled with a harrowing malcontent. He meant no sort of good as he connected his palms with the deceased.

    There was little that Lucia could see of the moment, during the madness and behind the steel of her partner. The monkeys were going bananas. They were determined to stop Julius from advancing past them. Lucia was unconvinced that the team of monkeys was evil, maybe they were just misbehaving. They ganged up on Julie's shield, pushing him and Lucia back. This is when Lucia decided to act, she poked her head out from behind Julius and raised her spear. Much to the monkeys' and julius' surprise, she began to speak. Lucia quivered and raised her voice.

    "Monkeys! You are citizens of these woods. It is your home as it is mine! Why do you fight us so? Lay down your arms." Lucia debated the ape swarm. What happened next would shatter her heart.

    "Eeeeeie! Our King promises great wealth to us." shrieked one chimp in response.

    "Praise Ganon, the God of Power! He has cleansed our home of the human filth!" cried another.

    "You seek only to sully our well-being! Just as the humans, fairies, and servants of the old pantheon have before you! You will drive us into the mires and caves just as they have! Down with your hypocrite order! Praise be to the fog!" tiraded another. They seemed to have a bigger picture in their heads than just bananas and nuts.

    Lucia was sorry she understood their language in the first place. Her spirit lay in tatters on the floor. She kept her spear close to her face as their staves came down, waving dangerously near her. Lucia gulped, and considered trying the gale boomerang thing again. The spear would work on one, but now all the monkeys were facing the pair. She shuffled her boomerang off her back and stepped backward to position her throw.

    "Watch out Julius! If they won't listen to reason, we'll have to break their line! Learn to like acid-bogs, will they?" Lucia growled while coddling her prized weapon.

    Just then, there was a horrible noise. A terrible noise on top of many, that day. King Baboozle's voice had rose to a heavy pitch. The yaw of his voice shattered the chatter of the monkeys. He had been chanting the entire time, waving his bony hands over the dead ape's heart. If the chimps were smart enough to have beliefs and politics. . . was this baboon smart enough to. . . no, it couldn't be!

    "AYA YA-Y-AYA KOKO JANBOOH! BAH NA NA PINE PINE POKAR!" Baboozle screamed.

    "JULIUS! THAT BABOON IS A NECROMANCER!"

    The monkey below began to shudder and stir. The baboon had used Raise Dead while they were distracted. Lucia screamed and let her weapon fly. The gale from her boomerang forced back the line, but they had already achieved their goal. One of the monkeys rushed to the wall and grabbed a torch. He screeched his protests and threatened to light anything ablaze. Lucia tossed in his direction just fast enough to disarm the flame. However, in the chaos and bedlam of raving monkeys, the King and his Zombie pooled together a new assault. The King clobbered the ground with his weapon, shaking up dirt. By the fires of Death Mountain, it seemed he was serious. Who knew what other horrors the baboon was armed with?
  4. Cloud

    Cloud friend admin

    Messages:
    1,023
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Member:
    this dick
    That was against the law. Julius thought about it for less than a second -- not that it mattered -- but it was most definitely against the law.

    The line of monkeys continued their approach -- only to be met with a particularly vicious Spin Attack. It sliced into their hair and muscle. They were a little weaker, now -- perhaps that spell of theirs drained a little from each of them each time it was used. That may not be the case, however. One of them swung its club -- only to have his blade pierce its chest. That was two down. Julius eyed the leader, the veil of dirt beginning to fall -- he wasn't there. Julius began to sense out his surroundings as he fought off the apes.

    He kept alert of where the undead chimp already was -- his senses couldn't pick it up, being an undead. The leader was coming fron above, grasping at the foliage along the ceiling. It wasn't his senses that told him this -- it was the clearing of the other monkeys from around him. He grabbed Lucia by the arm with his shield hand, carrying her out of the range of his descent.

    There hadn't been much time to move -- by the time they had, in fact, the King had already partly descended upon Julius. The King clutched at one of his pauldrons with a hairy, stinky hand -- it smelt like fecal matter. Julius made a swift motion, and in a second, a wave of energy slashed the King, combined with the force of his blade. He flung off, grabbing at his bare ass with both hands. Julius wasn't sure why -- maybe it was just to express pain. But soon, the chimps surrounded them once more, with a renewed fervor.

    They chose to focus on Julius, swinging their clubs in almost unison. Julius could barely hold against their seven fold -- wait, six. Where was the King -- Julius scanned the field, finding him chanting once more. What was more important, was that he couldn't be allowed to resurrect another monkey, or this would become a battle of attrition. A battle the apes would surely win.

    He spun once more, the wave of energy disabling many of the chimps for just a short while -- but a short while was all Julius needed to successfully break their line once more. He charged with all of his might, speed -- anything he could use at the moment. He pushed himself with all he had, several hundred pounds of force, muscle, and steel slamming into the King. Julius could only hope to wonder what became of his casting as he slammed his steel-covered fist into the baboon's face, again and again.
  5. Doc Genz

    Doc Genz frozen again Moderator

    Messages:
    858
    Trophy Points:
    28
    3DS Friend Code:
    4081-5508-8152
    The black-walled room quaked with noise. Wounded monkeys were strewn about the logs and stones. Lucia couldn't help but feel bad for the strong, but skinny creatures. She blocked their enraged assault with her spear, a couple staves weren't too difficult to block. It was the huge clubs she was worried about. Luckily, the ones wielding veritable logs were pounding on Julie's shield. She watched him charge the line. His stature had the monkey pile beat.

    She cringed however, as he dashed up the line to tackle the baboon. Lucia's Spectacles of Agony weren't picking up any strengths or weaknesses from the King. Was it. . .? Lucia felt something behind her. An arm!

    Julius was blitzing and throwing weighty punches at- Baboozle's Illusive Shadow! He was a tricky mage, on par with some Wizzrobes. It was HIS arm now wrapped around Lucia's neck. Nothing quite matched the sheer chaos that monkeys could deal out. He now held Lucia hostage, and she yelped out for Julius. Even with his attention, she was in great danger. As a hostage, there was no telling what spells he could use to cut her down if Julius didn't comply.

    Just what was the leader's intention? He was more or less the only monkey who hadn't talked yet. Huh? Maybe that was the key to winning. Lucia thought to herself as he pressed his smelly butt-fingers on her neck. If nothing else, she could distract his simple, if abstract, mind. The monkeys venerated their King upon noticing his success. Which monkeys were alive stopped fighting and indulged in blowing raspberries at each other.

    "Wait! Mister Baboon, you are clearly the smart one here." Lucia began. Baboozle scratched his chin with his free hand. She did have a point. . .

    "Can you speak to me? Maybe we can sort out a deal?" she continued, bargaining for her life. He seemed ready at any moment to pull out some kind of deadly technique. Finally, he managed to speak up.

    "Make your case, wench. I am King Baboozle, and I do not easily sway to commoners!" he flaunted in a haughty voice. Julius would be unable to hear the madman's ramblings without a Kokiri's instincts.

    "Look, you're obviously neither monster, nor ordinary animal. While there exists even wicked Hylians, even Gorons. . . there's even legends of Kokiri more evil than you can imagine . . . you are a cunning and extraordinary being.

    "I am flattered, knave. But you have yet to offer me more than petty babble!" Baboozle argued. He was not going to be easy to sway.

    "Fine, fine, my liege. I will offer you. . . this picture book about a curious monkey and his yellow-hatted assistant."

    "Surely you jest! You offer me not even a novice magic tome. This will only serve to entertain my cohorts, half of which are dead thanks to you! We had such a good card game going too! You're a rat and a scoundrel for entering our fort. It is not we, but the army down below that threatens your kind. The forest belongs to us, the animals and monsters! It is up to us to decide how foggy, acidic, or overgrown it is." he explained, ever haughtily.

    "You. . . you. . . you make a good point! But how? Who am I to dictate your environment. . . your base. Gods, what have I done?" Lucia lamented, hanging her head over the poopy arm.

    "SNAP OUT OF IT LUCIA! He seeks to trick you! His words are empty and selfish!" Lith screamed in Lucia's dorky ear.

    "Now that you mention it, Lith. He is being a bit one-sided. It's likely his greed is talking, as with his silly monkey friends. Is it gold or jewels you want? Fancy nuts perhaps?" Lucia continued to query.

    Regardless of how useless Lucia was being, it provided a potent distraction. The pompous ape was lost in thought, coming up with all sorts of ideas about his motivations and turning his arguments around. Now was Julius' chance to strike him down. Getting out of this toilet did seem to be a priority, anyway.
  6. Cloud

    Cloud friend admin

    Messages:
    1,023
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Member:
    this dick
    Julius, in all his worry and sudden rage, hadn't even noticed that his fists failed to connect. His body hadn't even connected with the King's -- but a well played illusion proved otherwise. He was too late in noticing that he was so well versed in illusions -- and now, his arm was wrapped snugly around Lucia's throat.

    A green sparkle emerged from Julius' Adventure Pouch. It was Lexi -- after some thought, Julius supposed he would be able to construct some sort of counter-ruse. "Lexi," he whispered, still lying on the ground above the illusion. "Go assist Lucia -- and Lith -- in distracting the king," he peeked up for a second, noticing that no one had their eyes on him. "If distracting them is what they're trying to do."

    "Okay~!" She chimed out as quietly as she could. She fluttered over to the big, mean baboon -- and promptly put all of her dancing skills to work. At first, she was skeptical to believe it would work -- but after a few choice movements, she could tell she had him wrapped around her finger. It was a shame apes couldn't speak normally.

    She managed to get him turned away from Julius, which he took as a cue. He picked himself up, careful to make as little sound as possible -- but, in plate armor, that was a difficult goal to achieve. Still, he crept along as best he could, until he was within pouncing distance. When he closed to only a meter away, he pounced -- striking, driving, plunging his blade through the center of his back, through his spine, and -- most likely -- into its heart. He let out an ear shattering wail as his body went rigid. The pain, the shock -- it was too much. He fell, thumping onto the ground as his minions looked on in awe. They responded violently, aggressively -- but without that tyrant to rule them, they were easy to finish off.
    ----------

    "When tyrants rule, no good can come of it. Remember that well, Lucia," Julius spoke, as they ascended to the next floor.

    This time, the way up was a winding staircase -- something that gave Julius a little bit of time to think. So far, they had faced many a peril -- and all of them had been singular challenges, obviously meant to ward off any weaker invaders. He wandered what they would face as they went higher and higher into the tree -- he couldn't even begin to guess. Darknuts? Wizzrobes? They'd already dealt with Lynels -- anything less might seem like an insult. Of course, at the top... there was still that wellspring of enormous terror. That beast which he had been given a mission -- nay, quest -- to kill, to exterminate. To end without mercy. Thatwas his purpose, in this instant. That was why he was here.

    He steeled himself, his vigor renewed, as they neard the top of the stairwell. They could see, just a bit, that there were red sacks -- about seven, maybe eight -- and all around them, Deku Scrubs, Mad Scrubs, chanted some kind of shamanic ritual around them. Julius was unsure what to make of it. "Lucia," he whispered, not wishing to be noticed yet. "What do you think it is they're doing?"
  7. Doc Genz

    Doc Genz frozen again Moderator

    Messages:
    858
    Trophy Points:
    28
    3DS Friend Code:
    4081-5508-8152
    Lucia watched in awe. She knew nothing could be worse than the last room, but it was still risky. The red and green leaves swirled around the room. These enemies had probably already smelled the two from a mile away.

    "After what that King did. . . for all we know they could be summoning Darknuts from the depths of Death Mountain." Lucia commented pessimistically.

    Lucia had become the star of this chamber, as the lot of the Scrubs turned their rods on the pair and fired off Wind spells in high volume. The Gale Boomerang was likely to save them from certain death in here. It was all thanks to the Great Fairies. What would they have done without them? Lucia let rip her Gale Boomerang in a low arc sweep in front of her. It ripped turbulence in the air, and with this turbulence it tore the feeble knives of air to pieces and licked them up into its conical form. Lucia wearily grabbed her weapon on its way back. The Scrubs had only become angrier at her victory.

    Beastly creatures, those Deku Scrubs. Lucia signaled for Julius to their assault. Lucia tossed her spear in the mob of Scrubs and awaited Julius to make his move. But something was horribly wrong. These monsters were all but fully prepared for this manner of fight, as may have been clear by their organized and magical nature. As the spear entered the crowd, each and every one of the Scrubs activated Leaf Warp and transferred to a different spot in the room in unison. Lucia choked on her own confidence. She began to charge her Gale Boomerang again, this was going to be difficult. Not quite as difficult as before, though, Lucia considered.
  8. Cloud

    Cloud friend admin

    Messages:
    1,023
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Member:
    this dick
    Julius charged into the room following Lucia's spear -- as he rushed them, however, they all abruptly transported a distance away. He looked around. It was hard to see -- except for the strangely... pulsating... light that seemed to radiate from whatever was in the center of the room. He could have sworn he just saw one of them twitch -- right before a gust of Wind slammed into his helmet, knocking him onto the floor.

    The eggsacs in the center of the room began to twitch, shudder, and... lurch, it seemed, in apparent joy and exuberance. One of them began to pop an conform to the being inside. It was a smallish creature -- in comparison to Julius, at least. If one stood next to Lucia... it might have been as tall as her. The creature sucked in the rest of its sac to its gullet. It was delicious. It wanted more -- something meatier... something with more sustenance. It opened its singular yellow eye and spied its surroundings. There were the Deku Scrubs -- it remembered them from its egg... one, an especially large one, was laying on the ground. Maybe he would be nice and tasty...

    It approached the dazed and most likely unconcious Julius. It mulled over his form once, befory trying to bite into his arm -- ow! The man's arn hurt its fledgling teeth. He mulled over the girl standing by the entrance, though. She didn't seem like eating her would harm him... so he began to shuffle its way over to the young Kokiri.

    Julius' face met the floor as the incredibly dense thunk rang out across the room. He clutched at his ears -- it was louder inside than it was out. He felt something pull on his arm -- he snatched it away, still dazed from the blow to the head. It hurt -- fuck, did it hurt -- but the noise was what really drove him insane. He sat back up on his knees, still clutching his head -- another sphere reamed into his back, knocking him forward just a bit.

    Julius sprawled out as he connected with the floor for the umpteenth time that day. He knew there was still a battle going on. Lucia was still in danger. He sprang to his feet, his wits barely about him -- he could feel something hungry, something ravenous approaching where he thought his companion to be. He rushed over there -- which was nowhere near as fast as he usually had been, but was still comparable to a rather brisk jog -- and flung his blade this way and that. He could barely concentrate, barely focus. He continued swinging his blade into the creature until it was something comparable to mush, like guacamole.

    This time, he'd managed to hear it coming -- there was a shrill launching noise, like an arrow being fired, only at a higher pitch. The wind seemed to warp around him as his blade met the globe of sudden gust, the breeze flowing beyond him as his blade seemed to effortlessly parry the spell. It launched back into the direction it came -- you could have heard the Deku Scrub yelp in surprise as its own spell slammed into its chest. Julius stood, almost flopping back onto the ground. He knew he'd be able to shake it off with a good moment's rest -- but he wasn't sure for how much longer he could continue to fight like this.
  9. Doc Genz

    Doc Genz frozen again Moderator

    Messages:
    858
    Trophy Points:
    28
    3DS Friend Code:
    4081-5508-8152
    Lucia backed up and threw her charged boomerang. A whirlwind coated the room as Gohma Larvae had begun to hatch and fill the wide chamber. She was able to stop a few Wind spells, but one had knocked into Julius. He had been struck by the on coming Gohma. Lucia recognized these horrible chitinous creatures from back in the forest. Many stayed away from them, as they only caused trouble to those who disturbed them. But now it was different, they were being contained as an obstacle for the two.

    Lucia continued to stay back, as she was witnessing something unsettling far to the right of Julius. One of the Gohma Larva had hatched. In its sudden hunger after birth, it had leapt onto a Deku Scrub to feed. It made short work of the creature, at first gnawing through its tough exterior and then swallowing a large part of its head whole. Its jaws, like scissors, snapped shut violently and precisely. Finished with its meal, it turned its gaze on Lucia. She took hold of her boomerang with the very edge pointed outward. Her stance was like a crude version of a kung-fu swordfighter, her boomerang held up over her head and her left hand out front for protection.

    The small Gohma charged. Its back legs snapped like a cricket's and allowed it to bounce forward with tremendous force. Lucia stepped forward and stabbed outward with her boomerang. A solid hit swatted its eye. The weapon wasn't sharp enough to do much more than stun it as it teetered back. It bounced back to its feet and dribbled bits of Deku goo out of its mandibles. Lucia heaved her boomerang out of her hands and allowed it a low arc so that it would travel straight forward. The lack of force to the throw gave it time to spin up before grinding into the single eyed arachnoid. The wild ripping broke the monster's entire pose as it was torn off its feet and flung back in a wild hurricane of green dust devils.

    Lucia sighed in relief. The other larvae weren't entirely near her. She was able to send waves of gales through the room as Julius focused on his targets. At this point, the Deku Scrubs were in disarray. More so were they broken by the fairies' choice to upgrade her attacks. They were unprepared to fight such an effective wall against their wind attacks and other projectiles. The were too demoralized to try their luck with Deku Nuts. Lucia took her time devising a new strategy now that she wasn't forced to block herself hand-to-hand. Her Spectacles of Agony let her know vague details about the small monsters' strengths. Had it been a device so properly attuned, she would know the real secret of this room. A better sensory device might be able to alert her to the growing power level of something else in their vicinity.

    Lucia threw another wave of gales to disarm the closer enemies. This was her chance. She flipped open her Infinite Novel to create something new to improve the situation.
  10. Cloud

    Cloud friend admin

    Messages:
    1,023
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Member:
    this dick
    As his blade parried the spell, he witnessed the... oddly comforting sight of a Mad Scrub being eaten alive. No, he couldn't think like that. It was an innocent life put to death because of that thing at the top of the tower. And then, the rest of the eggs began to hatch. First one, then two; they all leaked the same disgusting, revolting fluid. And, as they all hatched, they all had the same overwhelming feeling of hunger.

    Their eyes met Julius' armored figure, flashing a bright blue briefly. The hairs on his neck stood up. There was something else here; he could feel it. His eyes scanned the room as the larvae closed in. And then, it would become so that Julius wouldn't need his sight to find the greater presence.

    A rattling came from above for only an instant, before a nearly massive being crashed onto the floor, a loud thud announcing its presence. It was an arachnid, that much was clear; it produced a strange chittering before its young leapt at Julius in unison. The combined force knocked him to the floor, although he tried to resist. The creatures began jumping on him as they mother neared; it was of no matter, however, as his blade pierced an eye. It was slain, almost assuredly so, as Julius continued to jab out the eyes of the pests with his sword.

    The hive queen, Gohma, continued to approach. It was a cross between a scorpion and a spider; the best descriptor was arachnid, was all Julius could think, as its stinger waved menacingly over its head. He barely had time to sit up before it thrust at him with a speed not unlike an arrow. He raised his blade to parry it -- nearly. His blade graized its tip of as it continued to its armor -- would it be able to penetrate?

    Julius thought, quickly, as its stinger approached his chest. He tore his body to the side -- causing its stinger, and whatever toxins it held, to graze his sword arm. He felt it stiffen -- the graizing hit probably delivered enough to be effective in the short term. He was already disoriented, but at least he wasn't entirely paralyzed. He raised himself behind his shield, slowly, attempting to work through the venom. He hadn't seen anything of the Scrubs yet -- perhaps they retreated, knowing the odds were not in their favor?

    Julius spoke calmly to Lucia, "I cannot swing my blade. Listen, you can do this," he paused ashe guarded against another attack from its stinger. "You know what its weak points are. Write something up -- a bow, if you haven't already -- but if you can't do that, your boomerang might work as well."

    He pushed forward against the assault. He couldn't do much, other than guard and attempt to slash -- but his arm moved too slowly to hit it. Hopefully Lucia would be in position to shoot soon.
  11. Doc Genz

    Doc Genz frozen again Moderator

    Messages:
    858
    Trophy Points:
    28
    3DS Friend Code:
    4081-5508-8152
    Lucia had made an unintentional mistake. She had already written out a lance and shield before the Gohma Queen had landed. She tore the pages out and accepted it, there was no time. Lucia held armed herself with the basic shield and lance, they were just her size.

    "Whoops." she admitted, advancing back up to Julius.

    Lucia began by throwing her boomerang to distract the Gohma. Gohma roared and spat green fluid from its maw. Her eye was changing colors rapidly as the boomerang mashed into it. Apparently her egg chute was also a stinger? This would be tougher than the usual fare. Which, incidentally, was saying a lot. As Lucia didn't normally fight monsters at all. It was just a good thing she was asthmatic, or she would be dead.

    There was a crack at the floor as Gohma lunged. Lucia fell back from the mere force of wind it made landing. The boomerang wasn't enough to stun this thing. Lucia made a gambit. She knew from the readings on her spectacles that this creature was especially weak at that eye. She hopped onto its rigid face and thrust her lance down in reverse grip, planting the blade in the large yellow eye. Lucia coughed, the monster bucked, she flew off to the ground.

    Green fluid. . . no. . . it was moss? Oh gods no. A culture of moss poured out from under its eye. The sticky green fuzz collected around its form, probably triggered by its sudden damage. The moss wasn't growing, it was moving on its own. It began to bulge out, coating the exoskeleton and eye of the queen. A large puddle of green plasma spilled onto the floor. The moss thinned out and dissipated as it finished its work.

    What was under that film of moss was different than before. The chitin had morphed shape, become more lustrous, spiny, and green. Her eye was molded to a new form, its pupil like a crosshair. This moss. . . it was like the roots they had fought earlier. This entire place was alive. . . they were some kind of microbe with a hive-mind. They were capable of changing its entire environment to its benefit. Maybe, quite possibly even, they were how this tower had formed so quickly without a local architect. That howling creature at the top had to be the central nervous system of its mind.

    Gohma sputtered, and formed a taller and more frightening stance. She whinnied and cocked herself still as a bright light of emerald formed in her pupil. There was a brief flash and a thin, wiry thread of pure light zipped across the room. The laser made a slash long and straight across the room, barely missing Lucia's face above her shield. the attack made a white-hot line across her shield. Lucia's jaw dropped.

    NANOFIBRE ENHANCED ARACHNOID
    VIRIDIGOHMA
    Lucia's lance fell on the creature. There was an audible clink as her attack bumped harmlessly off the carapace. She thrust again, focusing more on the eye. The creature shrieked and stepped back. The weakness was still there, as they could easily tell. It was just a matter of reaching it now. Lucia was small enough to try, at least. While normally she was capable of avoiding this lurching crab cake, there was now some difficulty in it. The beam charged on regular intervals during her approach. She found herself running back as it started to power up again. While she was able to jump away from its cutting line, she would soon be in for a shock.

    Lucia turned back just in time to see Viridigohma positioning its egg chute. Several stingers emerged from the hole.

    "Oh shit!" Lucia squealed as it began to shoot them off like rockets.

    The conical stingers tore into the floor as Lucia was cast away from where she was standing. At impact, the stingers exploded into venomous shrapnel. Lucia had already been blown onto her face from the loud pop of pressure they needed to fragment. The missiles came, all five of them. Lucia rolled on her side as they flew around her like flies speeding against traffic. There was a quick series of pops like fireworks. Lucia cringed in pain as a shard embedded itself into her left shoulder. Her shield arm instantly began to numb.

    "I can do this. . . Julius says so. I can do this!" Lucia whimpered as she pushed herself back up.

    She had to succeed. If she couldn't avoid the next few beams she was done for. Lucia drew her lance at the monster. This was her last chance to get the odds in her favor. Lith appeared amid the din of explosions. She fluttered up toward the ceiling, uninterested in dying with her Kokiri. Lucia lunged forward as Viridigohma waggled her stinger supply. She had between seconds for this to work. With an angry garble of screams, she hammered her lance into the wide-open eye. Another flickering of bright colors ignited the room as it seared in pain. Her pupil buzzed in every direction like a delirious moth in a room of bright lights.

    "On your feet Julie! we make our stand here!" Lucia shouted as she was deflected off of the hulking phalanx.
  12. Cloud

    Cloud friend admin

    Messages:
    1,023
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Member:
    this dick
    It fired another round of spiny stingers. He defended and evaded them as best he could; it still took large amounts of effort to deftly swing his sword. The shrapnel exploded across his shield; he was thankful for his choice in apparel, now, as the beads and shards dinged lazily against his cuirass. He saw its eye began to spaz, as it continued to fire whatever apparatus it had in its eye. It seemed to function like a beamos; could he not, then, reflect its beam?

    He brought his blade at a snail's pace to where he thought its beam would strike. As it began to flicker into existance, it rebounded and reflected against his blade. He could! He could slay it using its own weapon. Whatever new armor that green fuzz had installed, it would prove to be useless against its own ability.

    Julius' arm slowly began to regain feeling. It had been perhaps two minutes? He wondered what it would have been like to take the full extent of the venom -- he was glad he hadn't. It didn't matter -- the beam was cutting, steadily, through its chitin. It emitted an ear shattering screech -- had the beam broken through its shell? No... it had struck its eye. Julius began to approach closer at a steady clip, the enhanced arachnid not seeming to notice. Perhaps he'd blinded it? As he crept closer, he began to move his blade, manipulating the beams of light. They began to strike closer and closer to the center of its eye -- perhaps it couldn't even control itself to such an extent as to end its own attack.

    He moved his blade to where it was no longer reflecting the beam -- the tip of his blade seemed to cut it in half, nearly. Its eye suddenly managed to focus, harder -- not that it mattered, as Julius was finally near enough to plunge his blade deep into its eye. Deep it went, sinking, plunging... he applied more and more force until eventually its beams ceased altogether. The tip of his silver blade exited the other side -- just barely. The creature was slain, and that was what mattered.

    He approached Lucia, who was still on the ground. He noticed her lance and shield when she had leapt onto the... thing. No way was it some ordinary beast. This entire place reeked of malice... no, that thing had to have been something unique, caused by whatever had constructed and warped this place.

    Julius began piling Deku Scrub bodies into the center of the room. There were a few -- enough for what he needed to do. "Lucia," he held out his hand. "If you'd allow me to see your boomerang, and the gems."
  13. Doc Genz

    Doc Genz frozen again Moderator

    Messages:
    858
    Trophy Points:
    28
    3DS Friend Code:
    4081-5508-8152
    Lucia stumbled back to her feet. The numbing in her arm had come at such a bad time. They had just been healed, after all. She grasped with her working hand the small bunch of gems. Her lance and shield went sailing to the floor. By her magic they became torn shreds of paper within little puffs of smoke. The stones passed hands between her and her mentor. Lucia's good arm retrieved her boomerang from the floor, and passed it over as well.

    Something watched them from the shadow of the door. Its creeping nails clutching at the floor like daggers. With a solid leap, it vanished up into the ceiling to the next floor. It was made of the shadows itself. Lucia turned to the door and saw that it was nothing.

    Lucia hurried away from the impending fire, to tend her wounds and examine the far door. Without access to anything to help the poison, she hurried up another bandage. At least with her useful new weapon she would only really need her good arm. She tried to wipe the dried salt from her face. It had been a long, long day. Not a single moment of today had not been terrifying. Lucia thought of the Deku Tree in sadness. She remembered the horror of running from soldiers in the woods amongst a legion of living branches. She remembered the invasion of her town. . . she remembered the herd of rowdy Lynels. It was going to take months or rest to get over this.

    Lucia turned back to Julius and the fairies. He was hard at work with his gruesome bonfire. She turned back to the door. The next set of stairs was especially fancy. What could they be leading to?
  14. Cloud

    Cloud friend admin

    Messages:
    1,023
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Member:
    this dick
    Julius watched as the bodies went up in flame. It was difficult to pin him to a particular goddess -- all of them had something he believed to be good about them. The flames' crackling went to the back of his head as his thoughts were preoccupied with the construction of Lucia's boomerang. Fire gems would be a worth addition -- they would allow her to actually injure her enemies, in addition to what it did normally. It was already quite the impressive weapon.

    His mind was filled with thoughts of the goddesses and what they meant to him as the crackling slowly returned to the forefront of his mind. There was Din, the goddess of power -- her important aspects to Julius should seem quite obvious. Strength... the ability to wield a blade, most notably. Fire, creation of the earth -- the ornate white metal on Lucia's boomerang was getting hot enough now. Careful... he inserted a gem at one end. He made sure it melded into the metal, returning it to the fire for a bit longer. He didn't know exactly what it was -- he didn't know if he was making a mistake by doing this here or not. Another moment passed with nothing but the crackling flames providing ambiance.

    His thoughts returned to the goddesses. Din was probably important -- but so too was Nayru, perhaps. Goddess of knowledge... techiniques, skills -- but most notably magic. He had no talent for actual magic, he thought, as he cradled the two gems in his hands. That was why his father took up smithing. He wanted to fight like his father, Julius' grandfather had. It was why he had taught Julius to smith. Weapons, in fact -- Julius stopped the contemplative thoughts, only to have more invade his conscious. Why was he thinking of all this, right now? Perhaps it was the feeling of closeness with Lucia. She was like the daughter he'd never had -- someone dorky. Someone who was slowly gaining courage. The courage to fight, the will to live -- she had been quite the brave one, lately. He smiled, wryly, as tears began to swell in his eyes.

    The metal was ready for its second gem. This one was embedded where the boomerang curved. The same process as before. He stuck it back in the fire for a moment. He noticed, now, that the first one had seemed to flatten itself. Perhaps it was something the Great Fairy had done. Maybe he'd let it heat for too long -- he pulled the center out of the fire, checking on the gem. It was definitely something he had done.

    The final gem. It was done in the same manner -- though, this time, it had much less contemplative intrusions in its crafting. The fire was beginning to die down. He didn't worry about it spreading -- nothing nearby was especially flammable, anyways. He handed it to Lucia without a word as he began to scale the stairs.

    These stairs were far more... well-built? than the others thus far. It seemed to lead to something, somewhere -- perhaps they were getting close. But why would it expect someone to climb to the top of its tower..? The stairs were long, winding. Even from here, he could hear the flapping. He was surprised, when he entered, to find... nothing. Yet, his senses told him to stay alert.

    "Lucia, something's here. It's hiding, though -- or at least I think it is. Sometimes even I'm not sure how I work," he finished, drawing his blade from its leather scabbard. He could still hear the flapping...
  15. Doc Genz

    Doc Genz frozen again Moderator

    Messages:
    858
    Trophy Points:
    28
    3DS Friend Code:
    4081-5508-8152
    Lucia ended her moment of wonder at the addition of sparkly gems to her favorite weapon. If not now, it would never be time to go. She warily climbed the stairs after Julius. It was nothing, that Gohma was a piece of cake. Lucia sniffled a bit, trying to keep her wits about her after that traumatic experience. She noticed something off here, the stairs went on for quite a while. This kind of march was probably nothing for Julius. For Lucia, it was like climbing mountains. She truly never wanted to see a staircase again. She'd more quickly blow herself up with a bomb to make it up this many stories. Her mind wandered on the subject of whether stairs were really necessary. She wasn't dumb enough to refute them, but her wishes remained the same.

    Lucia found her mind drifting. She could have sworn she was just thinking of a lot, but she suddenly couldn't remember any of it. Oh well, probably wasn't important. She did however, notice how far this staircase was going. Lucia remembered how the tower seemed to reach the sky from outside. She made a mental note to call it Skyreach in her novelization. She stumbled upon the last step just about when she would have considered giving up. It was bugging her about what she'd been thinking about in the middle of the stairs, but the memory just wouldn't come back.

    She flopped behind Julius, who was witnessing a flying enemy descend upon him. Lucia heaved her breath quite a bit, she couldn't really react in this state. She swept her head across the room in a cold sweat. It seemed to be some sort of flying Lizalfos that she had never really seen before. There was no time to draw this character in her sketch book, she had to get to her feet as soon as possible. Especially considering the array of other Aeralfos on their way down from the windows. Lucia sighed. It was a bother, yes. . . but this was the dream team those creeps were facing. Did they really expect to stop the two?

    Lucia sniffled again as she caught her breath. Where was her confidence coming from? Before this day, the toughest thing she had successfully fought on her own was an Octorok. Maybe, she thought, she fought some thieves one time. That may have been a dream. It must have been, because she noted it was a strange dream in her diary afterward. Something occurred to her as she armed herself with her boomerang. Hadn't she seen that absurd green horse in her dream too? No, it wasn't possible. Best to forget that incident altogether, even.

    Lucia chuckled as she powered her Boomerang with a torrent of wind. This would be easy, she thought. The Aeralfos dove toward her with a rapier drawn. Lucia's smile faded as she threw the studded weapon. When the small tornado hit the air, it lit ablaze instantly. The cone of air sucking into the fire only served to fuel it, creating a large flash of terrifying fire spewing in wild directions of the little twister. Lucia screamed.

    "Take this- EEEEEEK HELP!" she blared. The twisting vortex of fire created by the Flamarang sucked out the wind from the Aeralfos' wings. As the tornado would have ordinarily sent the creature in a tailspin and disoriented it, it had now grabbed the beast into a vacuum of fire. The blow to its body combined with the sudden flash of fire was more than an Aeralfos would normally defend against. A charred disgrace of its former self, the creature spun to the ground helpless. It was alive, sure, but in this state it wouldn't matter much.

    Lucia screamed as the tornado of fire bent back around and headed for her. She dove to the ground in a heap as the weapon sped over her head and into a wall. Lith appeared from the stairwell, furious.

    "You can catch that, you know. IDIOT. Like with the gales, the enchantment of fire turns off and stops itself from hurting its owner. The Great Fairy made sure of that! Everyone is dying because of how stupid you are!" Lith scolded, clearly not changed at all by her experiences.

    Lucia refused to humor her uncontrollable rudeness. She simply swept the weapon back into her arms and prepared for another assault. Maybe with all of them in a burnt pile on the floor, Julius could even kill them with his arm numb. Lucia felt insulted that she didn't even need to think of a strategy here. Who were they expecting, anyway? Lucia tore up the air with another set of flaming tornadoes.

    "Just take your time Julius, I don't think they can reach us now." Lucia explained. It was true, they'd be more challenged by a single stray Wolfos. What a royal waste of time.

    "Can't we get some more Gohmas or something?"
  16. Cloud

    Cloud friend admin

    Messages:
    1,023
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Member:
    this dick
    Julius marveled at the boomerang's full effect. It was a weapon of death. He twirled his blade once as the Aeralfos regarded him carefully. There were four others, aside from the one that had just collapsed as a heap of burnt flesh. It smelled... kind of good, he had to admit. Perhaps hunger was setting in.

    He eyed the enemies warily. They were all armed with bucklers -- and curved swords. Khopesh, scimitar... he noted nearly all of their weaponry as being used, in one way or another, by the Gerudo of the Tantari. One of them flew low and fast. It was going straight for Julius, likely still scared of Lucia's whirling vortex of death.

    It was coming dead on for his chest. Its buckler and sword were on either side of its body, arms outstretched. Julius briefly raised his shield, just a moment away from the Aeralfos' Aeralfos' impact. It slammed into his shield, with Julius allowing himself to be knocked back a bit as the flying lizard continued through the air with quite a bit of extra momentum. Unable to control itself with its fledgling wings, it slammed into the wall just above the doorway. It fell, dazed, and most likely somewhat broken.

    "Lucia! Behind you," he warned as another prepared its charge. This one... had a piercing weapon. Maybe an estoc? He couldn't quite place it, but he couldn't simply guard against it. It would, more than likely, tear through his shield; he didn't know how much force these things could generate, but he guessed it to be quite a lot.

    With more deftness than he'd possessed during the Gohma fight, he parried the blade's thrust. The Aeralfos couldn't stop on such short notice; it kept flying those few feet, before it was met with an immensely powerful bash from Julius' shield. It connected with its snout. There was a crunch -- Julius guessed it was its bones. Either way, it was by no means able to fight -- something Julius made sure of, as he stabbed into its chest through the leather jerkin it wore. He knew that some monsters might well be civilized, but anything raised from these vile depths were nearly guarunteed to be evil. He wasn't even sure if they were real -- he had seen what happened to the Gohma from before. What if the same mossy substance created these things? He couldn't think about it any more. There was still two -- maybe three -- capable of fighting. Of course, that was assuming one didn't have some form of brain damage.

    His blade flashed as the next one charged -- a Spin Attack. Its wave of energy tore, easily, through its flabby, stretched skin and knocked its weapons aside. It wasn't quite dead, but it would be close, soon. No matter what he did, in fact; now that Lucia possessed a weapon. He approached the charred one's still-moving body as the remaining able-bodied flew overhead, blood dripping from along its jaw and side.

    With a thrust of his blade, another was dead.
  17. Doc Genz

    Doc Genz frozen again Moderator

    Messages:
    858
    Trophy Points:
    28
    3DS Friend Code:
    4081-5508-8152
    Lucia stopped throwing her weapon. She just caught it in the air and stood baffled. It looked like all of her throws missed, and in the meantime Julius zipped around bashing their heads in. Lucia hung her head low. Was she that bad at aiming that Julius had time to run around hitting them all? Hell, he even waited that long before going for the stunned one. Lucia was going to help by kicking it or something. Dejected, Lucia put away her boomerang.

    "Hahaha you can't even hit them!" Lith squawked. "Just go home, loser!"

    Lucia turned to the fairy. She was ready to just say "fuck you" and fry the little bug. However, she had no time to even consider it. Lucia began to turn grey, and then black. She had stopped moving for a little too long. The Wallmaster had spotted her. Its shadow eclipsed her form. The massive, filthy hand dropped from the ceiling and muffled Lucia's voice. It wrestled her still in its grasp and without another moment soared off out the window. All the way. . . it vanished straight up to the next chamber with a wriggling Kokiri. So much for strategy.
  18. Cloud

    Cloud friend admin

    Messages:
    1,023
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Member:
    this dick
    Julius turned as he felt the new presence in the room. It was a floormaster -- and its hand was wringing Lucia's neck! But, just as he noticed it, it flew away... somewhere. It didn't matter, however; the Aeralfos was still parading around the room...

    This time, it was much more confident in its ability to attack Julius, now that that nasty fire wind was gone. It felt brave! Strong! Just like mama always wanted it to be! But, this time, it would need to be smart, too. Taking the giant directly hadn't worked for anyone else... So he did what he did best!

    Swooping down, it tried to lift the heavy man. His skin was steel! He kept trying, beating his little batlike wings as hard as he could. Urrrgh! He wasn't feeling so strong any more...

    Julius, rather than attempting to attack the beast, felt almost humoured by its attempts to lift him. He wasn't much of a threat to -- wait. There was another one. The one that had crashed wasn't lying around anymore. In fact, it was heading straight towards him! He began to struggle against the Aeralfos which held onto him around his arms. Eventually he managed to wrestle the creature into submission; hooking his free arm over its own arm, he pulled it with a force so sudden it couldn't resist. By this point, it was already swooping.

    It headed straight for its kin. No! He didn't want to kill his brother! But it was too late. He crashed into his brother and the giant. Mama warned them about the giant. Mama said the giant had killed many. He never thought it would end like this...

    Julius thrust and slashed quickly at the Aeralfos. They were skin deep wounds, but it had already seemed to have given up. Without another thought, he slashed hard, into its neck. Rather than blood, however... the bodies melded back into the same green goop. It gave Julius a chill. They'd felt so lifelike... but now wasn't the time! Lucia was in danger! Without much of a second thought, he exited the floor and shot up another ladder. There was no telling how far this one went on.
  19. Doc Genz

    Doc Genz frozen again Moderator

    Messages:
    858
    Trophy Points:
    28
    3DS Friend Code:
    4081-5508-8152
    Julius climbed the ladder for what seemed like several minutes in a row. ((click and listen))

    He couldn't know what was coming next. It probably vexed him. The rungs rang with a metallic ping, one after the other. Their echoes magnified his solitude. A phantom pain came across the dungeon, crying against its walls. Waiting. It waited with itself, to consume with its roots until there was no more to consume. Julius climbed knowing it was himself and himself alone who could stop total global saturation. He'd give his life. Not for honor, but for you.

    All the way near the top of the tower was a dark room. Lucia could see not much but weaved wooden bars enclosing her. There were others, too. She heard them shuffling behind her. There was. . . weeping? Someone was awfully upset that more people were being captured. Someone was behind her. Lucia wasn't sure she wanted to meet this stranger.

    Julius took a step into the doorway. That was probably the most draining ladder ever devised. He could easily look up and spot them. High above the dark room was the array of wooden cages, with Masters floating about smugly eying their catch. Now it was personal. But if Julius was keen, he'd see that it was not only Lucia in the cage. . .

    The dark room, like the many before, was crafted of a thick wood. The wood was blackened and veiny. This wood was probably the problem here. Julius would notice from his point of view that the thick ironwood made walls weaving about the room. Such were the walls that he couldn't see a single detail of the room. It was a maze.

    What was with this labyrinth? Was it a simple bent hallway, or something more? That's when it occurred to Lucia. Julius was coming to rescue her. She spotted him down in the maze, unsure of how to best proceed. She tried to shout to him.

    "Julius! I'm sorry I didn't help much in that fight! I have to help you get through this maze!" she shouted across the chamber.

    This was perhaps the largest chamber of all those they had seen previously. The tower itself had widened near the top, and this was the widest point of the building. Lucia strained her lungs to get her message to the other side of the room. Julius would not only have a hard time hearing her, but she would be distracted as she relayed messages. For there was another in her cage.

    "Nice ta meet ya, gorgeous! I'm here with the other prisoners. This here is Grublo II, and over there is Fredwick the Unfortunate. Sad knight that guy is." the low voice said. An arm reached out the side of Lucia's head and she watched it point behind her to a weeping knight and a really high-strung looking sir whom she assumed was Grublo.

    "Oh, sorry. Forgot to introduce number one, sister." growled the voice. Lucia turned her head slowly.

    Behind her was a Goron with an obscene amount of gear.

    "Meet myself, the famous survivalist! I'm Gor Briggs, and you'd best remember it." he boasted.

    "JULIUS HELP." Lucia shouted. She examined the maze from above.

    From this angle, it was hard to see what lay in ever corridor. However, there was something she could help with. There were a handful of switches in various corners of the maze. The labyrinth itself was populated with a number of foes, however. Reaching every switch would be difficult, and even Lucia didn't know if they were to be thrown in order. At the end of the maze, right below her, stood a round gate covered in locks. There were two keyholes on the gate, and it seemed to lead to the releasing mechanism for the cage as well as the final door to the top of the tower.

    Lucia called out to Julius, but was interrupted by a low explosion of sound from above. From this close, the howl was worse than thunder and more terrifying than cannon fire. Lucia was shaken for a bit. After the howl subsided, she gathered up her voice again.

    "JULIUS! FIND THE SWITCHES! GET THE KEYS! BUT ABOVE ALL-" Lucia screamed.

    "Didja know I and the gang here, we had to eat frogs and snakes? Ol' Briggs can survive the worst snowstorm, he can!" the Goron continued.

    "OH MY LIVING HYLIA DO YOU EVER SHUT UP?" Lucia screamed into the Goron's face.

    She was about to tell him to watch out for the Like-Likes, but she had lost her train of thought. This was easily the worst thing to happen today. It was possible there were more forest creatures in the maze, but now Lucia couldn't quite concentrate.
  20. Cloud

    Cloud friend admin

    Messages:
    1,023
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Member:
    this dick
    So, this was a maze? He perhaps did not possess twine, but he knew well from many a tale that following the left wall would lead you to the exit. But what was that? Something about keys and switches? Ah well, he'd figure it out all the same. Leading with his left hand, he began to walk the path of the maze.

    There was something about Like-Likes, too, she had said -- they were nasty buggers, he knew, having lost some of his equipment as a fresh faced recruit to the creatures. Little did anyone know, but he was also a master at discovering them. But perhaps they were not the only things to be feared... For in a place most unholy, onky do the darkest grow... The beating of wings low overhead was barely audible to him as the beast roared again overhead. Every roar, every shout, every sniveling wimper from the soon-to-be-slain creature was like booming thunder; cannons being fired amidst the bloodiest battlegrounds. Every utterance of the beast served to fill him only with rage. It would be slain and the forest would be healed. It was destined. Beyond destined, in fact; it was prophecy of the Golden Goddesses.

    He continued walking in the corridors. This time, in a moment of rare quiet, he could hear the wings once more. "Lexi," he whispered, looking around. "I need you to fly above, and be my guide. We're looking for switches and keys -- Lucia's hanging somewhere up above."

    "Okie doke~!" The fairy chimed. This was going to be child's play, Julius thought, as she began to guide him through the maze. They continued, turning, twisting, evading the Like-Likes that were so carefully hidden. Julius was truly a master at his art. However swell he might have been at avoiding the Like-Likes, though, there was still the problem of the -- "Aaaaah!" Lexi screeched out. This was a legitimate cry of desperation; there was no chime in her voice, no sing-song happiness. She was well and truly terrified, and the reason soon became obvious.

    A mothula, its wings huge and each billowing a powerful gust, sailed the air overhead. It was a goliath: something of a world record, Julius supposed. Something not unlike those monsters that he had faced in this same tower. There was a circular passage just ahead. Julius rushed there -- he tried to leap over another Like-Like. He made it -- just barely. He managed to drag his feet out of the abomination's range as he continued sprinting to the clearing.

    "Julius! The first switches aren't far!" Lexi yelled as she looked at the monstrosity. Julius wished he could see better in the surprising dark conditions of the room -- it was lit, but hardly better than if he had a torch. Perhaps that was... no, now wasn't the time! Shaking his head, he drew his blade as the enormous purple-winged monstrosity landed in front of him. It opened its slimy maw in a display of power -- something Julius had almost grown accustomed to, at this point.

    Its wings then unfolded. It wouldn't be a problem for Julius-- he had faced worse at some point or another. Still, it was a dangerous foe. Still, it poised whatever... reproductive organ it had, and poised it to fire at Julius. A slurry of black eggs came out -- Morths, he thought they were called? They clung to his shield like glue. This actually put him in a fortuitous position -- as the monster reared its ugly head again, Julius smashed the altered shield into its maw. It was eating its own spiked young. Some had come off -- about five of a good dozen. The others simply dug their spines into the tender flesh of their mother's insides. It roared back in pain -- something Julius quickly stopped with a flash. Once more, the vortex spun about him. It was a familiar sight to all whom travelled with him.

    The beast began to beat its wings, launching powerful gusts -- and some kind of powder -- at Julius. He, however, grasped the Roc's Feather in his possession -- he was thankful for that adventure pouch, now. He abruptly leaped into the air. He knew, once, a technique that would have been perfect in a scenario like this -- unfortunately enough, he'd lost it over the ages. While he might not be able to perform it exactly, he sure as Din could replicate it.

    He reached the apex of his initial jump. He began to descend, but only for a second -- another Spin Attack launched him farther into the air. It was amazing. The big man had the ball now. There was nothing to continue his ascent this time; he was above the maze's walls, in fact, he was so high. He placed his blade and poised himself so as to land into a shoulder roll. He dropped, down and down, farther and farther, nearer and nearer to the creature. His blade tore into its carapace. With a roar, he tore his blade from the creature as he continued into his roll -- only his blade was stuck. It had been lodged so deeply into the creature that he, in fact, could not retrieve, even with his spectacular momentum. There was nothing to do as he collapsed into the creature.

    Yet, perhaps nothing needed to be done. He had -- for the most part -- destroyed the creature, in one fell swoop. However, he would come to the realization that he was now bathed in green slime -- unlike the moss, that is. It was plain and simple guts.

    With Lexi guiding him the rest of the way, there was now nearly no danger presentable enough -- save perhaps Darknuts from the deepest chambers of Goron City -- which could dissuade him now. He would slay, with some disinterest, whatever crossed his path; be it forest creature or some other form of abomination. Rage festered inside of him. He knew, clearly, who the true threat was.
    --------------

    He reached the main door, after having pressed both sets of switches, easily. He unlocked the door and burst it open. The cage release... he smashed it as the cage doors flew open. Then, he waited. It was time for Lucia to come to his aid; it was time for their prophecy to be fulfilled, as the saviours and guardians of the forest.