The Water's Edge (Ribitta/Closed)

"I haven't got a clue," came the mercenary's response. The amount of times he'd come across them during his travels could be counted on one hand. "They're not exactly the social type. At least, not with us."

"You don't think we'll meet any of them?" Ayls asked, glancing over at the man. He shrugged.

"Chances are they'll know we're in the forest long before we'll know we're being watched," Rua said. "Tell you one thing, though, you two. If we get lost in here, you better hope we find one, because chances are we won't be coming out otherwise."

That'd just be perfect, wouldn't it? Getting lost and becoming Stalfos. Magical.

Orup gave Rua an uncomfortable glance at the notion of getting lost. Despite his own preference for nature and all that sort of stuff, the alchemist probably wouldn't survive terribly long if he was lost in those woods. As if to convince himself, Orup licked his lips a bit and responded, "I'm sure it won't be a problem. We'll just have to be careful to mark the way we go in then, of course. " Terrifying thing, getting lost and then dying in the woods. He'd had fears of that in the caves until he had finally gotten used to them. Nature was home, now, but by the goddesses he wouldn't mind being back in a place with roads and houses again.

There was another part of him, though, that made him almost want to get lost. Then they would be forced to be resourceful, to find things otherwise missed, and there would be a thrill from all that you couldn't get any other way. He was practically an old man, now, and all of a sudden he found himself subtly craving for adventure. Who would've thought that the boy with the sword and a girl would be more levelheaded than he was about the whole thing!

Looking up to the forest, Orup tried to make out things from the trees, but his eyesight wasn't very good at such a distance. He could see just fine, thank you very much, but at great ranges he could not pick out much more than shapes. Had something retreated into the forest just now, or was that something with the light?

If Rua saw the same thing that Mepple thought he saw, he gave no indication--either he hadn't noticed it, knew it for a trick of the light, or saw it as something that wasn't a threat. Ayls seemed to be looking around as they approached the forest, but for her, it seemed more of wonderment or reminiscing; she showed no signs of thinking she'd spotted something other than the birds flitting from the ground to the trees.

The ground shaded as they entered into the forest proper, with only glimpses of sunlight coming through at times. They could see, over time, as Rua subtly shifted from a relaxed stance in his walk to something more guarded, though not from threats. His sword was still sheathed on his back, but Ayls noted how he was fidgeting with his shield on occasion. "Is something wrong?" she spoke up, causing him to look back. "Do you sense something?"

"No," Rua replied easily enough. "No, there's nothing really threatening nearby that I can tell. Just... waiting for the Scrubs to appear. Horrid little monsters that they are."

With a smile, Orup felt the aches of the journey vanish from his state of mind as they entered into the forest. A place like this demanded all of his attention, and dull pains could be shoved into the background for such an experience. Plenty of the plants were recognizable, of course, but it was the ones that he couldn't recognize that excited him the most. He tried to keep pace with the group, but every once and a while Orup would dip back to snatch a sample of something.

Forests were an interesting place, the likes of which he was hardly used to. It felt comfortable though, despite the foreignness that surrounded him so entirely. The notion of slipping away into the thick of it, off the path, hardly frightened him at all, which was saying something given the fact that he wasn't exactly the brave sorts. Perhaps it was simply because it was all so interesting to him. From the corner of his eye, he caught what must have surely been a side path, an odd bush at the very end. It seemed almost familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was.

"Hold up for a moment, boy," Orup said quickly, not bothering to wait for permission to wander off the path. Quickly trotting down away, the man was too preoccupied to even look back and see if they were, in fact, waiting for him. The bush awaited him, and he quickly arrived at the thing. It seemed like all the rest, only that the root structure seemed odd in the ground. Getting onto his knees, he crawled toward the thing. Was the ground bulging toward the base?

All of a sudden the ground exploded, sending Orup flying away from it in a hail of dirt and brush. "Deku!" he started to cry out, but he was cut off a moment later as a harsh projectile struck him in the side, causing him to curl up instinctively from the blow.

There was cursing accompanying the rustle of Rua's movement as the mercenary lunged at the creature, his shield hitting the dirt as he discarded it. The Scrub retracted itself back into the ground again to get to safety, but Rua had none of it--he grabbed it by the leaves of its "hair" and yanked, trying to pull it back out from the soil. Even as he pulled with his left hand, his right went for his sword, pulling it from its scabbard and flipping its grip around. There was a muffled shrieking that made Ayls wince as Rua slammed it through the center of the quivering bush, into the ground and into the Scrub.

He stabbed it again for good measure before he yanked the blade out, stepping back to watch the thing shiver in the dirt as it died. Behind him, Ayls was helping Mepple back up onto his feet, and Rua turned to lend a strong arm to pull him upright. "You alright?" she asked.

Orup had met Deku before, peddling goods as they flew across the barren plains of Southern Hyrule. They were difficult with their prices and arrogant about their wares to boot, but never had he been attacked by one before. Grim faced and silent, Orup rubbed the spot on his side where the Deku Nut had struck him, and he winced as his fingers felt tender flesh. Thankfully having some padding helped, but undoubtedly there'd be an uncomfortable bruise there by the next morning.

But Rua and Ayls had responded in a flash, and hardly a moment later he found they were helping him to his feet. He'd heard the sword, but...? Glancing at the Deku, he swallowed and frowned. Dead. So soon? Would the rest of the forest hear about their treacherous incursion? He'd heard stories of that before. The Deku could be vicious, but they were also considered a cultured race. They were sentient like Hylians were. The fact that they could trade was evidence enough to that.

"I'm all right," he said slowly, trying not to look at the carcass of the creature he had uncovered. Now fully on his feet, he dusted the dirt from his clothes and decided he'd best have a good look at the thing. Crouching by the wooden creature, Orup glanced at Rua, "Do you think they'll all be violent in these woods? I've met peaceful ones before..." He trailed off, unsure what to think of the whole thing.

"Well, not all of them, hopefully," he replied. He glanced back at the dead Scrub, then turned about and used the tip of his sword to spread some of its leaves out--he could see towards the inside that they were dry and brown, instead of the flexible green that healthy plants had. "It was a Mad Scrub. They'll be pretty plentiful, but maybe if we're lucky we won't run into any more feral ones."

"Does this happen to them often?" Ayls asked, peering down at the carcass. Rua was picking up his shield from where he had discarded it.

"Hell if I know," he muttered. "Things shoot at me enough to the point I don't really give a damn. Might be able to pull some Deku Nuts out of that thing, if you're lucky, but if that's all we might as well get a move on. I'm sure something in here feeds on these things and I'd rather not stick around to see it."

Orup winced at that. He'd heard differing reports about Mad Scrubs. While some people claimed they truly were mad, others equally claimed that they were quite sane, the difference perhaps between a Hylian and a Gerudo, but not between a Hylian and a monster. Uncomfortably he nodded at Rua's warning of a larger predator, and the man stood up slowly. He regretted being unable to stay and study the thing, but his stomach churned uneasily so he decided it was for the best. Another part of him wanted to suggest they wait for that larger predator, so he could study it, but for once he was able to override that with some common sense.

Sticking with the group now, Orup made his way back to the path, too ruffled up to even consider looking around at the plants as he walked. A voice inside his head chided him for being so easily frightened when he claimed such a thirst for adventure, but he squashed that aside as well. Stroking his mustaches, he decided he was quite satisfied for the time being to simply stick with walking; it was quite easy to assure himself the best finds would be still deeper in the forest, after all.

That, of course, wasn't enough to stop the man from making conversation. Such things relaxed him a bit, after all. "How deep do you think these monsters will have burrowed in the forest? The Goriyas, I mean. I heard Ganon's forces largely avoided this territory when they invaded."

"They did," Rua confirmed, keeping his eyes scanning their surroundings instead of looking back at his employer. "But I think that was more because there were no major human settlements this far east. Ganon wanted the population centers for the real powers in Hyrule, so he hit the towns while marching north."

"But that was fifteen years ago," Ayls said, stepping closer to him. "Things are different now."

"Yeah. If they had to go to the forest... well, they still probably wouldn't go in very far."

"Why? I can't really think of anything that'd stop a moblin from... wait, are you talking about the forest spirits, Rua?" Ayls asked. "You think they won't go in because of whatever's deeper in the forest."

Rua nodded curtly. "It's as good a guess as any. Most people can't get to the heart of the Kokiri settlement until one of those faerie brats leads them there by the nose. Can't imagine it'd be any different for a goriya or a moblin."

Orup frowned. Spirits and magical barriers were all fine and good for stories, but they weren't really the types of things he intended on mixing himself up with. He preferred things he could touch with his hands, drop into a vial of water and watch the effects. When you could look at something carefully, observe its nature in many different areas, you could begin to feel more comfortable with them. But walking headlong into a forest where 'magic' had stopped an entire army that had destroyed his home? The man shivered at the thought.

Still, though, he figured it'd be worth it.

As they walked, he looked around searchingly. Neither was he the brightest nor most perceptive, but he'd like to think that if he applied himself properly then there could be some progress in that. After his rather embarrassing stumbles about the size of the forest and then with the Deku themselves, he had a mind to make up for his mistakes if he could. Scanning the woods, he did his best to pick up on something with the information he gathered.

After a few minutes, actually, he noticed something. "Hold a moment, boy," Orup said slowly, coming to a stop as he scanned the right side of the path. "The plants on this side appear to be prospering a bit more than usual, though as far as I can tell the sunlight isn't any different. That shrub with the small red beads on the end of the leaves? Those are coupling plants with a Water Bulbs, often--they use different nutrients, you see, and can often be found thriving next to one another.

"If you look at the bottoms of these plants, you can see where the leaves often get eaten or bent to the side by critters using these parts of the woods, though they may not like traveling across the path. Though I can't hear it from here, I would wager off in that direction a ways is a water source. Creek, ravine, spring, or maybe something larger even. I've a mind to take a look at some of the amphibious life in the forest while I'm here. I wonder if we could find some... ah... other things, up stream from it a bit?" Talking about the monsters made him uncomfortable, and his thought that they might camp near some water might be completely wrong. Nevertheless, the notion of looking at aquatic life in a forest would be excellent in and of itself.

Ayls and Rua both halted at Orup's command, with Rua only glancing back to make sure that he wasn't looking at something dangerous. He didn't see any Babas or Scrubs lying in wait--not that I've ever been able to bloody tell where those were at--and his senses weren't warning him of any incoming danger. Seeing nothing, he simply rested the flat of his blade on his shoulder to wait.

Ayls had moved over to her temporary employer and knelt down next to him to examine the flora he pointed out to them, the leather of her boots creaking and the fabric of her pants audibly stretch over her thighs. She listened intently to his explanation of the plant and its traits. She looked back up at Rua after a bit, at Orup's question. "I don't suppose there's anything too dangerous in the streams around here?" she asked.

He shook his head. This particular batch of forest was familiar enough, and if his memory served him right, the nearby water sources weren't much of an issue. "The stream near here isn't big enough to attract anything we should worry about if we check it out," he remarked. "There's larger water sources deeper in that we want to be careful around. We don't need to be stumbling upon a watering hole."

Fresh water? New species? Finally a chance to rest? No monsters?! Orup positively beamed at the situation, all but forgetting the the slaughtered Deku lying in the woods not too far back. A tiny irrational portion of him wanted their group to at least see something dangerous, but he brushed that aside. For now, at least. Perhaps they could get to that another time, after everyone had been adequately rested.

"Well then!" Orup said, hardly masking his excitement. "Shall we be off?" Getting a chance to study the forest in detail was, after all, quite the exciting proposition. His minor observations simply of their surroundings felt like they had begun to move something inside of him. Different than ambition, this was a thrill of something more. The goal was always in sight, but for once the path to get there seemed what was most exciting. He didn't know where he was going or what he would find, but that hardly mattered.

A thought struck him a moment later, foreign as it was: he'd have to be careful, if he felt like living, wouldn't he? Clearing his throat, the man looked around with a hint of embarrassment at his own enthusiasm coming up so fast, adding to his words with an ounce of sheepishness, "When you're ready, of course." He'd have to follow the man, after all. Taking the lead hadn't tended to work out for Orup, in the past.

Rua gave his assent--he still sensed nothing out of the ordinary in their immediate area, and with his weapon and shield already drawn he was certain that if something did appear, he could handle it in short order. Ayls stood up from the plantlife and wiped her hands on her pants before following after him as he guided the others to the water source.

Minutes later he had cut through some larger brush and they found themselves at a small creek running through the forest, its waters babbling as it flowed through the groove in the forest bed. Rua took a brief look at the surroundings, and quickly noted tracks in the dirt and mud at its bank--Wolfos, by the look of it, but they were old. A good sign that whatever beast had come through had only stopped for a quick drink before moving on. "Told you it wasn't big," he remarked, figuring there was no need to worry Ayls and Orup with the tracks. "We'll find the larger streams tomorrow."

In the wake of Rua's swathe, Orup happily tramped over debris left by the mercenary as they cut their way off the path. Indeed, it was hardly any time at all before he could hear the small water source beckoning them, and it was still not much longer before they actually made it to the place. The trees thinned as they approached, and Orup found the place quite peaceful once they got there. While the tracks were disconcerting at first glance, Rua was quick to explain them away, though Orup wasn't sure if that were to promote his own talent or to actually calm down those of his party.

Orup hadn't known Rua long enough to know if he was acting any different while Ayls was around. It would make sense of the boy was, but so far things seemed to have been business as usual. There was also the fact that, for once, Rua was here largely of his own intentions. Thankfully Orup had been able to tag along, but right now the boy had concerns outside of protection--he had a hunt to do as well. But here they were, stopping when there were a few solid hours of sunlight still left. Should that relax him or unnerve him?

Well, no use worrying about that now.

At once, the alchemist detached a padded pouch from his larger pack, pulling back at the drawstrings and extracting a half dozen glass bottles in a row, still leaving several in the pack as well. Beginning to fill them in the creek, the man asked half-mindedly, "You don't think we'll draw anything unfortunate at night, camping by a water source, do you?"

"Not this big of one, no," his employee confirmed. "The usual watering holes I've seen in here are bigger, and smaller animals are gonna avoid us anyway."

Ayls bent by the creek to clean herself, wetting her hands to wipe water over her scalp and cool down. It was by far cooler in the forest, but the trek to the forest had been a hot one. "That's not going to be a problem for you, right?"

"What, that the small ones are avoiding us? No," Rua said. "It'll just make getting dinner a bit more troublesome, but rabbits aren't hard to kill even then."

Once enough of his bottles were capped and left resting safely on a smooth rock by the water, Orup stepped back from the thing and watched it pensively for a short while. The water samples would be good for identifying the little things that lived in the water, but he would need to get that. Before the sun fell he would like to prowl the banks of the stream a bit and gather whatever odd things he could find. Rua had said this was a small water feature? Orup wondered what the larger ones might possibly hold.

Finally he made his mind up for his plan of action, and the man stood up slowly, looking to his companions happily. "Well, I'm going to need a fire. Two, in fact." Reaching over to his pack, Orup unhooked two pots that he had brought with them. Cauldrons were too heavy and cumbersome to bring out this far, obviously, but cooking pots had sufficed in the past for his little excursions that involved working away from home.

But first they would need firewood.

And so they gathered firewood. Ayls was left picking up suitable debris that had fallen from trees--smaller branches fallen from storms and such--while Rua looked around the outer areas, his blade drawn in case he encountered another Scrub.

"So why do you need two camp--" Ayls began before cutting off--the nearby sound of steel thudding into flesh and the inhuman, chattering screech that followed was unmistakeable. After a tense moment, Rua reappeared, carrying a long, withered-looking Deku stick that had been a Deku Baba's stalk. Ayls quickly relaxed as he tossed it into their pile.

"So why do you need two campfires?" she asked once more, turning back to Orup.

"Well," Orup began to respond between tugs on the branch of a deceased tree, "one is for my mixings of course. Heat things up and you'll always learn more about them, after all. I've found that any number of herbs and roots can have curious effects once you finally reveal them to heat, especially if it's within heated water. Why, I remember when I lived in Kakariko and was experimenting with Rose Ribbons, I found out that if you boiled them and then dried them, you could get the most curious scent that would put a man right to sleep!" The branch he was pulling on suddenly broke free with a loud snap, and the large, heavy man tumbled backwards and fell flat on the ground with a thud, deftly interrupting his ramblings.

As he stood up slowly, he seemed suddenly more aware that he had gotten completely off topic, and the man's face flushed a bit, though it could have been from the exertion. Standing up quickly and brushing himself off, the man cleared his throat and rubbed at his mustache, "Err, anyway. The other one is for cooking, of course. If Rua finds us a rabbit or two then I have everything necessary for Marge's stew recipe she taught me. Great stuff, really is."

"I've tried one fire before with two pots," he added a moment later, a dark look coming across his face, "never know what might jump out from one pot into the other, you know?" The heavyset man shivered a bit despite the comfortable temperature in the forest. He shook himself a bit and changed topics slightly, though, "Do the boys in the tavern force you to cook often, Miss Larawn?"

Force? Unusual choice of words, but she did have to admit, the men who frequented her bar were oftentimes an unruly lot. Not that she could blame them. Living in the caverns, while safe for the most part, was difficult and oftentimes frustrating. More than once Rua had had to evict one of her customers forcibly. Ayls shook her head. "No, not too often," she told Orup. "Most people don't come to my bar for food. Sometimes, though, and I've yet to get a complaint about what food I can cook up."

Options in the caverns were limited in more ways than one, after all, but at the very least, she didn't have to worry about substandard meals like she did with her spirits.

"If you have a recipe you'd like to share, I shouldn't have a problem cooking it up," Ayls told him as she laid some more gathered wood on the pile, completing at least one fireplace. Footsteps could be heard, coming from the direction Rua had wandered off to. A quick glance confirmed it was the mercenary once more.

"Cook it up?" Orup said, sounding slightly taken aback by the concept. "Nonsense, girl! I couldn't ask you to do such a thing. I won't! Besides, only a Mepple can truly cook such a recipe." The man hoped it wouldn't offend the girl--he hated offending people--but it was the honest truth. Besides, Marge would sooner cook her own brother before she let one of the recipes out of the family; he could have sworn he could still feel the lump from her frying pan when he'd almost revealed too much about about her Toad Goulash. Catching up with himself, the man realized that Ayls' attention had been snatched by something else, and he turned to find Rua reentering the camp.

The shock from the attack had finally worn off, and Orup was beginning to feel positively at home in this place. Certainly it lacked some of the comforts of a home, but he felt as if he could spend the rest of his life prowling through these woods and finding new things. Smiling broadly, he clapped good-naturedly (and quite loudly) at Rua's return, "Well, boy. What've you brought us?" With all this talk of Marge's recipes, Orup was itching for some Rabbit Stew.