The Great Escape

The Deku stroked his beard, feeling the prickly branches poke at his hand. It was already time to shave again. Rummaging around in the old wagon, he found a small knife and an old shield, all part of his inventory. Or, rather, it would more aptly be called a trash heap. Still, his customers couldn't tell the difference, between a shard of glass, and some foreign, ancient jewel. Not that he had any jewels-- mostly just broken glass. Polishing the shield with a small amount of water, using the edge of his mantle to wipe away the grim, Olias looked at his face. Indeed, his "beard", which was composed of thin, yellow branches, had gotten long. Had he a jaw, like a Hylian, the beard would have covered most of it, and would extend all the way up to the sides of his head. As it were, he had no jaw to speak of, Dekus having particularly round heads. Still, his "yellow mane", as he liked to call it, was his pride and joy. Bringing up the razor, using the shining shield as a mirror, he began to trim at the branches.

Being unnatural mutations on his face, and his head, the willowy branches replaced what most Deku had. Which is, to say, his head leaves and neck leaves. His "hair" was an even brighter yellow than his beard, and was several times as long, standing three quarters of a foot into the air. Each "strand" pointed straight towards the sky, held in place by Olias' red headband. Each of these branches had tiny yellow flowers growing on them, which made his head even brighter in appearance. The same kind of branches grew around his neck, as well, though these branches were kept at a much shorter length, of about an inch each. These branches gave him a wild appearance, as if he were wearing a spike choker on his neck. He rather liked it.

Shaving off one last tiny splinter of wood, he let out a heavy sigh. Tonight was going to be a very busy night. Setting the knife down, and propping the mirror up against the wall of the abandoned wagon, Olias took a seat on the ground. Looking out into the night, he realized that time was flying and that he was caught on its tailwind. Already he could see the crowds gathering outside of his wagon, their shadows dancing across the canvas of the wagon. He chuckled to himself. He'd been doing this for years, and he was still just as successful. People just never got any smarter. Hearing the clamor of his audience grow louder, he stood back up, prepared himself. It was showtime.

Opening the entrance to the wagon, undoing its drawstring, Olias looked out into the night streets. Kicking down one foot door in front of him, the wood bouncing as it rocked on its hinged, Olias stepped onto the makeshift platform. He was met with booming applause, which struck him like thunder. Raising up his hands, Olias let out a roar, drawing further elation from the crowd. Men and woman shouted with him, ready for the show to begin. The darkness was light by prepared torches, which stood in their stands, encircling the small plaza in which Olias was performing. His stage was at the center of the plaza, next to one of the finest fountains within the Castle Town; a well known place by all. He let his hand trickle through the cool water, felt its calm wash over him.

Jumping out onto the edge of the fountain, Olias let out another booming yell. "Are you ready?!" He screamed out, cupping his hands around his mouth. The crowd reacted once again, meeting his call with one of their own. Even children, too young to understand what was going on, could feel the ecstasy that was washing through the crowd. They were powerless against the salesman, who played their hearts as a puppet master would his marionette. Olias threw Scent Seeds into the crowd, the tiny golden capsules exploding as they hit the ground. Golden dust wafted, drifting over the crowd peacefully, sending them into a second fervor. Cracking another pair of seeds with his hands, he sent them through the air, imbuing them with the power of wind and fire, with their respective enchantments. The seeds landed behind the crowd, hit the ground and were shot up into the air, where they exploded. The spores of the Scent Seeds were aflame now, drifting down slowly. Yet the fires burned out before they touched a hair on a single audience member.

Jumping onto the head of a large fish, spouting water, Olias grabbed a pinch of the iron dust from within his pouch. His hand glowed an eerie blue, the Ice Enchantment spreading to the dust and imbuing it with power. Tossing it into the air behind him, the dust hit the water spitting out of the main column of the fountain; it was a large pillar, with a bust of each of the goddesses protruding from it. The dust touched the water-- and within an instant, it was spewing snow and frosty dust over Olias and the crowd. Ice glistened as the fires still burned in the air still above the crowd, lighting up the evening air. This was why the crowds came; for why else would they come to see an auctioneer, a mere salesman?

Olias had picked his quarry well. As he continued his shower of seeds, of golden spores, burning spores, and flurries of snow, he looked to each of the crowd members. There had to be at least a hundred present, excluding children. Each was already held rapt by his flashy show, already held tightly within his grasp. He appraised each and every one of them, looking at the size of the pouches that they carried, judged the make of their clothing. He saw gems and silk wherever he looked; placing his show deep within the residential area of what was primarily composed of powerful merchants and lesser nobleman had been a wise decision. Had Had he the muscles to do so, he would have grinned with glee; he would milk these men and women, these fools, for everything they had.

Jumping back to his platform on the wagon, Olias sent one last bout of fireworks above him and at the crowd. Grasping what appeared to be an old, thrown out tea set, Olias turned to the crowd, his eyes glinting happily. "This is our first item, a set of magical cups! Watch and learn, ladies and gents!" He said loudly, his voice drowning out all other noise. Walking back over to the fountain with aplomb, Olias bent slightly, one tea cup held in his right hand, the others balancing on a plate in the other. Dipping the cup into the water of the fountain, Olias let a slight amount trickle out from the edge to mask the numerous cracks within the "fine" china. The poor saps would never know what they had bought was broken, until they took it home. Water glistened as it dripped back into the fountain.

"Now take a look at this!" Grabbing another scoop of water, his turned the cup over. With a gasp, the crowd reacted; not a single drop of water fell from the cup. "Like magic! Never get another drop of tea, milk, or juice on your fine upholstery again!" They had not seen the blue magic surge from his finger, into the cup, freezing the liquid solid. As he turned it over, red came forth from his fingers this time, melting the ice back into liquid. To prove his point, Olias took a sip from the cup, showed them that the glass was now empty of water. Olias further gasps within the crowd, the disbelievers now convinced. Every woman within his crowd now wanted those cups-- he could see it within their eyes.

"Our price, tonight, starts at fifty rupees!" The crowd exploded with renewed vigor.

-- -----------

Chuckling to himself, Olias patted himself on his back, watching as the crowd was slowly beginning to funnel away, the show now over. He had sold the tea set at an exorbitant price, had wrapped them up in some paper and placed them in a small box. The buyer, a man who had been forced into buying the extremely overpriced tea set by his wife, would not discover their faultiness until they got home. And by then it would be too late. Olias would be long gone, by the time they returned to the plaza. He would have already moved to his next quarry. That was the extraordinary thing about Castle Town-- the city was a vast place, that one could spend a lifetime in, exploring every nook and cranny. Glad to be rid of the crowd, and the junk he had sold them, he turned to his wagon, began to gather the few things he would actually need from it. The wagon was not his; it had merely been bothered by a rather disgruntled homeless person, who had let Olias use it in exchange for a few rupees. By morning, said person would reclaim his home, and would be soundly asleep within a pile of trash that had mysteriously shrunk.

Gathering what little he needed, he jumped back out of his wagon, muttering to himself. Wait. Something was wrong. Looking up from the ground, Olias knew exactly why. He was being watched by a group of Hylian men, who had been dispersed throughout the crowd. Six, by his count. They were hard men, and now Olias wondered why he had not spotted them before. Had he turned complacent? Clearly, though, they had business with him. Business that he wasn't entirely interested in. At all. They were now walking towards him, angry looks on their faces. He could not recognize any of them, but he knew why they wanted him. It was likely that they had been hired by someone with a large amount of money, to seek him out and kill him. Clearly, someone had been on the wrong end of one of Olias' jokes. In retrospect, he could see why they would be angry.

Still, he wasn't about to stick about to find out what they were going to do to him. Turning around, Olias bolted. Their protests bit as his feet, spurring him on. He could hear them panting behind him, felt the tingle of his spine as the sound of drawn swords hissed against his ears. He ran towards dark alleys, making his way through the twisting maze that worked its way throughout the residential district of Castle Town. However, his pursuit was dogged; and he would not easily lose them. Still, he had a plan. Stopping, Olias turned around, his back to a high wall; it was a dead end.

Running up to the entrance of the path, the Hylian men were half out of breath. Olias had given them a run for their money. Still, it seemed that they finally had him trapped. "You!" One of them yelled out, between heavy breaths. "You made the wrong enemies. We're here to collect whatever rupees you have on you, and your head!" He explained. With that, his companions were off, charging the small, unarmed Deku.

Olias didn't even need to bring out any of his weapons for the mercenary trash that was charging him. No, his magic and his seeds would to the trick. Grasping a Scent Seed, his Fire Enchantment surged into the seed, far more powerful than before. Throwing it forward, the tiny sphere his one of the Hylians square in the chest and exploded. The spores exploded outwards in a fiery inferno, blocking the path with a curtain of flame. Within moments, the first three Hylians were on the ground, trying to douse the flames that was eating at their clothing. Giving them a smart salute, Olias pulled out his Deku Leaf.

"With that, gentlemen, I bid you adieu." The two Hylians who were not covered in flames could not charge him, not through the flames that still lingered in the air, burning through the spores of the Scent Seeds. Flying over the wall, using his Deku leaf as a propeller, Olias landed on the other side. Running swiftly out of the alley way, into the market district of Hyrule Castle Town, he ran straight into another person, was floored instantly. Rubbing his eyes, he saw that it was a Deku, thought nothing of it; that is, before he heard the sound of whistles.

"Cursed Hylians!" He muttered under his breath. Someone had alerted the Castle Town Guard, had put them on his tail. Looking back at the Deku, Olias realized his chance; they were looking for one Deku. If he could convince this Deku, and disguise himself properly, Olias would be able to make his way out of the city. Now how to convince this other Deku...

He decided to go with the sob story route. "Please, sir, can you help me?" He gave the other Deku that echoed his words, a look that would have brought tears to a mother's eyes. The Deku he'd run into looked relatively new to Hyrule Castle Town. As such, Olias didn't put much stock into the Deku knowing too much about the town. "There are robbers after me, trying to take the little money I have left. I need to get it back to my poor, sick mother in the Lost Woods." He explained quickly, his eyes darting down the crowded path of the street. It was a busy night for the Market District, many vendors out within the streets. The street was lit with hanging, paper lanterns. Still, despite all the clamor, the Castle Town Guard was making quick time through the crowd. "There they are now!" Olias said, pointing with wide eyes towards the guards.

"Pffft!" Olias nearly broke down in laughter, though he hid it well. Tears welled up in his eyes as he watched the gullible Deku make a valiant attempt to get the guards to stop. In fact, he almost felt bad for the poor sap. Still, he wouldn't let this other Deku ruin his plans. The way things were going, this brave Deku was going to get them both killed. Running up behind him, Dante pulled out a Scent Seed from its pouch and grabbed his hand.

Throwing the Scent Seed down hard, the spores exploded in a poof below them, obscuring them from view in a yellow-gold cloud. Pulling his new accomplice, Olias made his way into the crowd, which was forming a path so that the guard could make its way through. He pushed through legs, arms, and hands, forcibly dragging the Deku with him. Finding a small opening in the crowd, within which they would be able to hide, Olias looked at, what he could only assume was a Deku fresh out of the forest.

Letting out his laughter from before, he patted Talshin on the shoulder. "That was quite the show, back there. You really had me going!" He chuckled out, wiping his eyes. Letting out a sigh, Olias calmed himself and began to explain. "Sorry about that. I didn't expect you do actually try and fight them. Those are the guards of this place." Olias said, motioning to the town itself. Said guards were looking around the puff of golden smoke, wondering where the two Dekus had disappeared to. Deciding that they were no longer there, they continued running down the street, assuming that they were trying to make their way out of the city. "My name's Olias. Olias Syplheed Storm, if you were wondering." He said happily, looking at his temporary companion. "I'm the best business scrub you will ever have the pleasure of meeting. This business scrub would also like to ask for your assistance, in his escape from here. I can make it well worth your while, too. Interested?" Olias held out his hand for the other Deku to shake.

Olias chuckled again, but this time, the sound was far more sinister. As the dark thunder rumbled out of his chest, Olias looked at the other Deku, who'd been so impolite as to not even introduce himself. "Now, that's a refreshing contradiction." He laughed again. "I took advantage of you, abused your good nature, and yet you want me to join you? Saying that I owe you my life? Ridiculous." His right eye twitched in annoyance. Looking at Talshin, Olias' face visibly lost emotion. The showman, who had just been standing in front of Talshin had disappeared, replaced by a cold and calculating Deku, who would have no qualms with watching Talshin burn.

"In fact, I would say that we're just about even. Had I not pulled you aside, do you know what would have happened? You would have stood against those guards, and in the chaos and confusion, I would have slipped away. You, the naive Deku you are, would have been run through by fine Hylian steel, and the only thing that would have been left of you would have been a bleeding carcass on the ground." Olias' eyes dared Talshin to to challenge him. There was much more to Olias than one could see. Behind his back, his right hand grabbed the edge of his mantle, preparing for any hostility by this insolent Scrub. Comforted by the chain links hidden under a cloth cover, Olias continued his verbal abuse.

"And how do you know that what I did was an injustice, hm? Do the goddesses speak to you? Pray tell?" Olias' face neared the Deku Warrior's, his snout threateningly close to his chin, the smaller Scrub attempting to be intimidating. "Justice is such a flexible word. Oh, certainly what I do is not moral. I am a charlatan. I swindle, and I steal. I do not deny that." He explained to Talshin, backing away from him with a step backwards. "However, I steal from those who do not deserve their riches. Too many times, have I seen the rich take the poor for granted. In this time of war, are these not the true enemy? They undermine the meager bonds we have between the races of Hyrule, making a rupee off of the refugees that filter into this prison. Take a look around you, friend, at the squalor around us." Olias motioned down an alley way, where several Goron were laying upon the ground, their eyes devoid of life. Olias walked over to them, dropped handfuls of rupees at their feet. The sparkle brought life to them, giving them new hope.

With that, he walked back towards Talshin, walked past him. As their shoulders brushed, he spoke. "I give them the opportunity to escape the shackles of the poor, at the cost of the rich." Olias held up his wrist, showing Talshin his own manacles. With that, he continued walking forward. He stopped at the edge of the small clearing they had found, in the forest of Hylians. "You fight evil with your blade. I commend that. Let my defy it in my own way." Olias said quietly. Rather than step out of the circle, into the sea of flesh, he hesitated. He turned back around to look at Talshin. "I never got your name."

Olias watched Talshin's face, judging his words. Olias knew that the Talshin was honest in his proposal; Olias wasn't sure if he was capable of deception, anyways. Still, just as Talshin was wary, so too was Olias. It seemed that this Deku sought to use him for his own purposes. Olias' voice rose in his throat, died for a moment. He started again, this time with more strength. "Let us make it out of here alive, then. Should we survive this ordeal, then we will decide upon our actions." He replied, going over the situation in his mind. Currently, there was both a band of mercenaries after them, as well as a squad of the Hyrule Castle Guard. Olias said so to Talshin, explaining their predicament.

"Those guards that ran past will be figuring out that we never actually went far, fairly soon here. We should move quickly. I know this part of the market district, so I can guide us to a safe place. From there, we can decide on our next course of action. As I see it, we have two options. Either we can find, threaten, and possibly kill, the very angry man who is behind this. Probably someone who was on the wrong end of one of my deals. Or we can just get the hell out of here. We can discuss the logistics later. For now, follow me." Olias recounted his thoughts to Talshin. Without missing a beat, he was pushing his way through the back of the crowd again, moving towards the same alley way with the group of Goron from before. They had already left, most likely to tell their family of the good news.

"This will do..." Olias muttered to himself. The alley way was dark, especially with the lack of lighting. The bricks were old, and the alleyway seemed entirely abandoned. Walking down the grim covered path, he was met with a sharp turn; just what he had wanted. From the outside, it appeared to be a dead end because it was so dark. However, the alley branched off into two paths, one left and one right. Trying to recall the layout of the market district, Olias decided on the left pathway. "We can make our way towards my home, where we can gather our thoughts." He said softly, almost a whisper. With that, he was off, sprinting down the alley, expecting Talshin to keep his pace.

Olias gave him a strange look, hearing the apprehension in Talshin's voice, though he spoke only a few words. Though they didn't exactly see eye to eye, Olias did plan on seeing both of them get through this hardship alive. Once he made a promise, he would never break it; an odd sense of honor, coming from a swindler. Still, it was a commendable trait. Coming to a halt, Olias stopped in a rather inconspicuous corner of an alleyway, having had reached their destination. But, aside from the filthy walls, there didn't appear to be anything. Walking over to a corner, he looked at Talshin proudly, his hands on his hips.

"Welcome to my humble abode!" Which is, to say, that it was absolute garbage. It was a dirty, stinking alleyway, that smelled as if both sewage, and rotting rat carcasses lay in it. In all likelihood, both did indeed reside within that alleyway. But, alas, there was more to the his "home" than what one could just see. Kicking an oddly shaped sphere, that was covered in trash, banana peels, and the like, Olias prepared to give Talshin a show.

The pod opened up, revealing a Deku Flower, growing in the middle of an alleyway. Stepping onto the flower, Olias was sucked into its center, his head sticking out. "I like being a Business Scrub." He said with a hint of gaiety in his voice, as if he were about to burst out into laughter again. Then his head disappeared, engorged entirely by the flower. His voice came out from under the flower, and though it was rather muffled, it was still audible. "Come on in!" He yelled out, calling Talshin to join him.

Below the flower was Olias' home, which he had been digging out below the streets since he had arrived. He had made a large amount of progress, hollowing out a large amount of dirt and stone. What was left was a large, half-sphere chamber. Columns formed an inner ring, supporting the ceiling, while inlets and more columns were carved out of the circular wall in relief. Despite the impressive structure, Olias appeared to live a simple life. He landed in a pool of water, which sat at the center of the room, which was deep enough to absorb his impact, but only came up to his waist when standing. Wading out of the water, and climbing out of the edge of the pool, he stepped up onto the stone floor, his feet clacking against it noisily.

Grabbing a soft towel, he dried himself out, set one aside for Talshin. The room lacked furniture, Olias preferring the cool feel of stone on his skin. The only light that entered the room was from the hole in the flower itself, whose roots extended down into the pool as well, allowing for Olias to climb back out.

Olias tilted his head to the side, perplexed by Talshin's odd show of bravado. It's not like Olias particularly cared if Talshin got wet or not, anyways. It was just a courtesy, of course. Walking over to the towel, he placed it back with the rest of the stack, from whence it had come. "I apologize, for my clear lack of comfort. I don't spend much time here, to answer your question, so no." Olias raised an eyebrow. Walking over to a particularly dark grouping of shadows, he brought out a wooden stool for Talshin to sit on, if he chose to do so. Of course, the strange scrub could also choose to deny the stool, just as he had the towel.

Sitting down at the edge of the pool, Olias let his feet slip under the surface of the water. He relished in the calm that it brought him. He smiled inwardly to himself. Deciding to make himself comfortable, Olias undid the sash on his forehead, letting his spiked hair bend and fall around him. The "hairs" at the front of his head dipped into the pool, eagerly drinking at the cool liquid. He looked strange now, as if he were a willow tree himself. Yet he looked happy, happier than Talshin had seen him within the few minutes they had known each other. Genuinely happy, despite living a life of deceit and lies.

He looked over at Talshin, and for some reason, his half-moon eyes, that normally looked bored or tired, appeared to be sad. Perhaps it was because he had removed the headband from around his head and hair. "I don't actually spend much time, planning my ventures into the city." Olias began to explain, though he wasn't sure why he felt he had to justify himself to this other Scrub. Maybe it was because he had not seen another Deku in quite a long time, much less talked to them. Or maybe it was his refreshing personality. Either way, Olias continued. "I spend most of my time trying to pay the Business Scrub Association their exorbitant prices for my license. And my life." he held up his manacled wrists again, shaking them uncomfortably. "When I'm not doing that, I give out what extra rupees I do make, keeping only a few for myself. Those go towards getting these accursed things off." He hit one against the stone of the floor, the crack reverberating through the chamber, echoing loudly off the walls.

Olias would have smiled, had he the capability. It was nice, having someone to listen to him, every so often, though the chance didn't come very often. "They're welded around my wrists. If I were to try to break them off, the enchantment would be set off. These manacles would turn red hot, within a matter of moments, possessed by fires as powerful as Din herself." Olias rubbed at the manacles, scratched around their edges. "I would be dead in the seconds following that, the hot iron setting my wood ablaze in an unquenchable inferno." He finished, slapping at the water of the pool.

He sighed heavily. "My story is a long one. But, I suppose we have time. There are very few who know where I live, and none who would betray me." Olias slid further into the pool, letting the small waves lap over his knees. The moon reflected off the pool the white light reflecting off misty eyes, eyes that were looking back through time. "I am the illegitimate child of a Deku nobleman, named Hayden Storm. To avoid the complications of having another possible successor, he sold me into the service of the Business Scrub Association. I was, and still am, there slave." He said, looking at the moon through the hole in the flower. It had just peaked over the city, its soothing light bringing peace to his heart. It was strange, finally being able to tell someone his story. Perhaps the goddesses had fated this meeting.

"I hated my life there. From a very early age, I knew that I was better than my peers. My mind was faster, could run circles around them. And yet, they always looked down on me, not because of my ability, but for the simple reason of being a slave. This was during the day, when I suffered through the long lessons of the Association. During the night, I spent many hours tending the headquarters; for why should a slave sleep, when he is receiving room, board, and an education, all for free? At least, that was the Business Scrub Association's reasoning." His voice quivered at the mention of his employer.

"After years of servitude, of mental, verbal, and physical abuse, I had finally had enough. I hatched a plan, then, in order to gain my freedom. I was a smart boy, but I could not foresee that I would only make things worse for myself. I turned to magic, which was, and is, my calling. I planned and trained for years. But it was all for naught." He paused for a moment, trying to find the right words to say. "I escaped from my cell, but was soon apprehended by a guard. Brought before the high council of Business Scrubs, they judged that, despite my infraction, I was to live. To ensure that I could never escape, they bound me in these manacles. At their command, if I am to miss a single payment, these will be my death. I cannot run or hide; their magic will always find me, should I disappear from their sight. I have had these for ever twenty years, now." He finished his story, his chest heaving. It felt heavy.

"Now do you understand my contempt for the rich? They are exactly like my cruel captors, who do nothing but take advantage of others. I use the very tools that they have given me, in order to serve out justice. The poor of this city are prisoners like me, bound by the cruel hand fate has dealt them." Olias was looking at the other Deku, once again. "And you? What is a protector of the forest doing out here, so far from home?"

Olias was surprised at himself. He felt moisture rolling down from his orange eyes, something he didn't even know he was capable of. Maybe his exceptionally high water content had magically given him tear ducts; he wasn't sure. Whatever it was, though, it felt good to finally remove this great weight from his chest. Perhaps he had been too harsh, to this Deku. He shook his head. That was not it. He had just been like that for far too long. He had never really learned how to be a real person, and despite being in the outside world for years now, he had still not learned. He had always kept his mental walls up, and now they were coming down crashing around him. He faced this with a certain trepidation- his mind told him that he was becoming weak, would not be able to continue his work as before. But his heart told him that this was the true path he was meant for. Taking his sash, Olias returned his headband to his forehead, his head branches sticking up in the air once again.

"People don't realize it, but Ganondorf's most powerful assets are not his armies, his resources, his dark powers. No, it is the dark hearts of men, who would look to use this war to their advantage. Perhaps I was wrong, in my methods, but I have not forgotten that. I will follow you, Talshin Koor. I owe you an apology for my harsh words. In this world, it is too easy to let the ice settle on your heart, to let the anger control you." He closed his eyes, stood up from the pool. He stretched, letting the water drip from him. "We should get going. We should have a relatively easy time escaping, now. Though I agree, that we should start here, it may be a little dangerous at the moment." With that, Olias hastily began climbing up the roots of the flower, strangely silent. Having had opened up so much to Talshin, Olias was beginning to doubt himself again, doubt the course of his actions. He felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment. It seemed unbecoming, for someone of his stature and ability, to show so much weakness.

Clamoring out of the hole, Olias grunted as he pulled himself up, grabbing onto the brickwork of the alleyway. Pulling himself through the center of the flower, he sat up on the main level of the street, yanked his legs out. I should do something about that. It's always an ordeal getting out of there. He grimaced to himself. Yawning, Olias realized that it was quite the long day already. The moon had already moved from its position, no longer casting light into his home. The rush and noise of the street was beginning to die down, as men and women retired to their homes. The streets would be quiet soon, which would make escape both easier, and more difficult. Easier, in the way that, now, they would be able to move more quickly and more quietly. Harder because the nightly patrols would now be on the watch for any suspicious activity.

Looking down the hole at Talshin, Olias started speaking in a hushed voice. "We should get going. They are probably still looking for us, both the mercenaries and the guards. If we want to get out of here, we're going to have to find a way around them. Luckily, I already know of one." Pulling out his Deku Leaf, Olias began to hover in the air, slowly rising upwards. The leaf had transformed into something like a large three-leaf clover, that was spinning like a propeller and causing him to fly. He rose slowly, but he did not have far to travel. Stepping onto the ledge of a roof, his leaf returned to its normal form. Walking gingerly on the shingles, Olias walked over to a balcony, where there was what appeared to be a storage shed. Grabbing a rope from it, he returned to the ledge.

He let the rope drop, after tying it to a chimney. "There are guards on the roof tops, still, but a lot fewer. We should be able to make it through, if we're quiet about it." Olias said, looking over the overhang, down at Talshin. "The rope is secured, so you should be fine, climbing up it."

"That depends entirely on how smart they are." Olias walked towards the chimney that he had tied the rope to, bunched it up and untied it. Coiling it around his shoulders, so that an "X" shape was formed by the rope, and the belt that held his shot pouch. Walking back over to Talshin, Olias hunched down, grabbing a piece of a shingle that had been broken off. Drawing on the ground with it, a slight, white outline began to form. When he was finished, a crude drawing was left, showing their approximate location. There were two lines, stemming from a large circle, which was where Olias and Talshin were standing. One line went south, the other to the east.

"It would have been easier to move through the city earlier in the night, when it was crowded, but we would never have been able to get out. Both the Hylian Guards, and the mercenaries, would have been guarding the gates. They probably still are. Now, though, with no one else on the streets, we'll be able to scale the wall without being spotted by civilians." Olias' eyes were darting both west and south, his plan formulating in his head. "Now that the night's festivities are over, the night watch will be changing soon. Our best bet will be to scale the walls near the gates, just after the patrol relief leaves the towers on either side of that gate." Olias pointed in the far off distance, indicating the towers. "The east gate is probably our best bet. We can take refuge in the Northern Hills after we escape. We might be able to go south, but there is far less cover there." Olias was finished, stood back up.

"My vote is to head east." He stretched, looked in that direction. "It may be more difficult, getting there. That was the direction of the street we were initially on; meaning the patrol from before, and mercenaries, will most likely be in that direction." He grimaced, removing what appeared to be a rope "belt" that was wrapped around his waist. However, as he pulled a quartz stone through a loop on the other end of the rope, the belt was revealed to be a sling: Olias' weapon of choice, one that he had much practice with.