Thieves' Town [Nolan, Chi, Chaos, Quill, Chu]

OOC: Characters present will be Ariala, Blyss, Sec, Marcus, and Rika.

Ariala found herself staring up at the cold eyes of a gargoyle keeping guard over the entrance. The grey prongs of it's pitchfork were gates into the dungeon beyond, and no matter how much Ariala pulled at them, they wouldn't budge. How was she supposed to go on an adventure with this nonsense? It was bad enough she had no idea where she was to begin with.

There must be a switch around here somewhere... she thought to herself. Running her hands along the base of the building, she felt around for an indent or a knob to push in. No luck. Nothing would move when she touched it, and there didn't seem to be any cracks in the walls that explosives could open. So what was the deal with this place?

If only there was someone around that could help me pull these prongs out...

Meanwhile, she kept a wary eye out on the locals with her hawkeye. Witches patrolled the village on their broomsticks, zooming around the ruins in search of something or another. Monstrous looking thieves stood poised to loot rupees from unsuspecting victims; they didn't move much, just stared blankly with glassy black eyes. She felt her fingers move on instinct to her boomerang.

"These thieves don't look too nice," Sec said staring at the thieves that were staring blankly at them. He had been dragged here with Rika after the creation of their boat to do some adventuring. Despite his complaining, Sec chose to come along on his own will. He began to enjoy the company of Rika. There was something about Kokiri that he enjoyed.. well most Kokiri. There was another Kokiri that Sec hadn't gotten too accustomed to that was along for the trip. Blyss was a bit overbearing at times and Sec could definitely see the two arguing a lot, but as for now he had been on his best behavior.

They approached the entrance to the dungeon that Rika had spoke of. Sec assumed that Rika's dungeon crawling will get him in trouble more than just once. The gargoyle looked way creepier than he had imagined. It looked like something purely satanic was in the midst. Sexton took charge to proclaim the blatant obvious in an attempt to get away, "The entrance appears to be blocked by the pitchforks.. looks like it's time to go home."

Upon further inspection Sec realized he looked over somebody. It was a female Rito that seemed to want to enter the temple as well. It brought back some bad memories of the old Rito on Dragon Roost that fell in love with him when he went to Dragon Roost Cavern so many years ago. Despite the glaring similarities, Sexton looked at the girl without prejudice and began to ask if he could help.. well his way of helping. "Why do you want to get in there so bad? I took one look at that thing and almost turned the other way."

Up behind Sec came a small child, dressed in a strange outfit for adventuring, at the insistence of her wizard.The garments of a maid, they were almost sickening, but she would wear them around Rika, that was fine. Though it was all she could do to rip off the ruffly headdress thing that she wore now.

"What's wrong, Fleshbag? Something about Featherface over there bothering you? Rika~ Come on! Let's see what cool things I can find!" Blyss went from devious bitch to cheerful young girl in seconds, and grabbed Rika's arm and dragged him to the Pitchfork. "This is nothing for people like you and me, right?"

Blyss felt a prong closer to the center, and exhaled deeply. She closed her eyes, and pushed on the prong a few times. She took a step back, and kicked the prong, with the bottom half shattering. Blyss chuckled and began to remove the debris. She began to crawl underneath the spike. Luckily her outfit wasn't ripped or anything, merely dirty

On the other side, she turned around, and egged on the Hylian and Rito. "If you wimps feel like coming along, hurry the hell up." A small grin came to her face, her stained teeth barely visible. She twisted side to side innocently, waiting for Rika to cross under the gate.

I sighed, walking into the decrepit town of Kakariko. My hands were shoved into my pockets as I stared around, morosely observing the town's native inhabitants. Thieves, witches, and what looked like standing Keatons were dotted all around the dirty buildings, lurking in the shadows, or in the witches' cases, zooming around overhead on broomstick.

I shivered, balling my hands into fists inside my pockets. This place looked crude, barbaric, and full of hostile citizens. The kind of place where you didn't go anywhere without a weapon. Or two.

"This town," I said softly, "is a haven of scum and villainy." I grinned. Always wanted to say that.

Moving on. I could already tell that I wouldn't enjoy my time here. I haven't been too many places in my travels across Hyrule so far, but this was by far the worst place I've been in so far.

As if to prove my point, I saw an old woman walk towards a hidden Thief. When she reached his hiding spot, he jumped out of the alleyway shadows and grabbed her purse. I started to run forward, ready to help. But no help was needed, apparently. The little old lady, the innocent victim, pulled a knife out and stabbed the Thief in the face. Then she took her purse back and kept walking.

I skidded to a halt, my mental mouth hanging wide open. Farore, what was wrong with this place?

I was traveling all across Hyrule, trying to learn more about Healing and Protection magics. This place looked as good as any. From a distance, anyway. Now, though, I have to wonder: how much about Healing and Protection could I learn in a place where everyone stabbed each other in the face?

I decided to wander around a little, despite my better judgment. While I admit it was rather foolish of me to go into an area heavily populated by thieves, I had one reason for going in. A reason that trumped any sixth sense that told me to turn around and leave now.

I was out of food. I had forgotten to stock up, and I was hoping that I would find someone here that I could get food from somehow. Whether it be by Healing, paying, or... other... ways, I would get food. I needed to survive, after all.

I looked at the fallen Thief, and a predator's smile crept onto my face. He almost definitely had some money on him- money that I could use to stock up on supplies. He wouldn't be missing his purse at all, and hey. If it hurts the Thieves' Guild....

I wandered over to his fallen body nonchalantly. I eyed his frame, using my medicinal knowledge to ascertain whether he was really dead or not. The last thing I wanted was for him to jump up and steal all my stuff. No breathing for over two minutes. No twitching. No... nothing.

Three minutes. I should probably wait longer, but seeing as how he had a bleeding gash in his face, somehow I didn't think that death was outside the realm of possibility. I knelt down, searching his frame until I found his wallet, tucked in between his hip and his undergarments.

Look, I felt the outline through the pants, alright? Sheesh!

I emptied the wallet of its rupees into my palm. I bit my lip. There weren't very many of them, but it looked like enough to last me to the next (hopefully civilized) town. I replaced his purse, and stood up. Time to go- didn't want to be caught red-handed, though I didn't think anyone here would really care.

I looked at the fallen Thief, thinking. Did he have any family that would miss him? Would anyone care that he was dead? I bit my lip, glanced around, and returned to his side. I rummaged in my wallet, taking out a small green rupee. I opened his jaws, and placed the rupee under his tongue.

"May Farore, the Guardian of Life, guide you through the valleys of death, into the light of eternal peace."

I gently closed his eyelids, then bowed my head in prayer. When I was finished, I stood. Time to leave. I'd wander around the city for a bit- who knew? Maybe I'd meet someone interesting.

I walked past the buildings, aimlessly wandering through the Kakarikan streets. I paused. Was that a word? I shrugged it off; it was now.

I heard a small 'thump,' and turned to investigate. Maybe there was another stupid Thief who had tried to rob Chack Norra. But, instead, I saw a small group, huddled around an imposing Gothic structure. I decided to wander over and say 'hi.' After all, I had just been hoping to meet someone interesting, and these people were... definitely interesting, all right.

"Hi," I said, walking up to them, "who are you?"

((Alright, if I get 25 R for this quest, and my new Treasure costs 25 R, then that's what I'm getting! ^_^ Check me in, boys, I'm getting "SACRIFICE" as my new spell!))

Ariala instantly knew three things.

She liked Sec and Rika and Marcus. She did not like Blyss. This was going to be an amazing adventure.

Beforehand, she had been occupied looking for a way inside, but Sec caught her offguard, and she almost...ALMOST, thwacked him with her boomerang. However, his voice was softer than what she expected thieves would have had; even keatons as they're usually soft and fluffy but totally evil. Her muscles relaxed some, and she looked at him thoughtfully with her fiery eyes.

"It's probably filled with treasure of course!" she screamed with joy. "I mean, look at it!" She was near flailing with her arms. "I'm Ariala by the way."

She wasn't even really paying attention to Rika and Blyss (or Marcus), at least not until Blyss destoyed the prongs of the pitchfork. All she could do then was happily skip her way into the dungeon, pausing briefly to wave to Rika and Marcus. "I'm Ariala. Are you all going to adventure with me?"

Of course Blyss was being herself, breaking shit with reckless abandonment was kinda her thing. It seemed too much happened at once though considering a new man walked up that seemed suspicious. Though Sexton thinks everyone he meets that isn't a woman suspicious. Sec didn't say anything after everyone else had ran inside, he certainly wasn't going to be the one person stuck outside with a stranger.

((I didn't know what we decided to do for the inside. :U))

((Nolan, I'm sorry about my character's attitude towards yours. He doesn't like her exclamation. At all. Also... how did she know my character's name? Does she have the Hero's Charm or something?))

As I approached, I was startled by the winged one's... um... friendly attitude. Don't get me wrong, it was nice, but...it just seemed so... well, so out of place. I mean, we WERE in a town of thieves and murderers. Screaming that there was lots of TREASURE was probably not the best idea. But, still, I kept on coming. Just because one person showed absolutely no common sense didn't mean they all would. And besides, she could probably kill me if I made her mad. That was always a plus- when said she-hulk was on your side, anyway.

"Hi." I said, in response to another girl's greeting. I composed my face into what I hoped was a calm and serene expression. "I'm Marcus." I started to reach out a hand, then reconsidered. I really didn't want my hand chopped off.

Instead, I turned to the easily excitable bird-girl. "Hi." I reached out a hand again, confident that she wouldn't do anything morally questionable to it. But... well, you know that awkward feeling when you don't know where the other person's hand is?

I cleared my throat, somehow turning the shake-the-hand motion into a pat-the-Keaton motion. "Yes, if you have no objections, I will be adventuring with you. Do you mind? I am a competent healer, and I am sure that my skills will come in handy in such a dangerous place." It was strange sounding all educated and serene and wise, but I wanted to make a good impression on these people. After all, I was looking for adventure. Where better than here?

I glanced to her companions- nearly all of them had entered into the dungeon already. "Listen, we'll have to talk and walk at the same time unless we want to be left behind."

((This felt so weird to write. Not sure if it's any good or not. And sorry for keeping y'all waiting- I didn't know it was my turn -___-;))

And there it was. The first room of my first dungeon. I grinned slightly to myself, stepping through the threshold. I had heard a lot about dungeons. They were supposed to be bursting with wonder, magic, monsters, and daring feats. Sounded fun!

As I stepped forward, I heard the sounds of drunken laughter echoing through the room. I froze. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. There were people in here! Real bad guys! What was I going to do?

Boxes. Boxes a few paces ahead of me, large enough to hide behind. I quickly scurried over to them, trying my best to keep myself inconspicuous. I pressed my back against the wooden surface, breathing heavily. Waiting. Waiting for one to shush the other. Waiting for the sounds of a chair scraping back. Waiting for heavy footfalls to come towards me. Waiting for the crate to be shoved aside, for a sneering face to appear, for a final flash of steel.

But... nothing happened. I waited, my breath stilling, my heart calming to a slow rhythm. They hadn't noticed me. They hadn't noticed me. I was safe!

I exhaled shakily. Thank Farore!

I turned, examining the crate closely. Was there any way I could- yes! There, near the top of the box, was a small hole. A crack. I pressed my eye against the crack, trying to keep my clothes from rustling loudly.

Of course, this wouldn't work without another hole across from the first. I scoffed in my head. The odds of that were-

...Very high, apparently. Huh. I felt a stab of suspicion. This was a little too convenient. I shrugged the matter aside. I would have found another way to ascertain the location of the thieves in any case.

I peered through, and this was what I saw...

---___---___---___---

Ray laughed, slamming his cup against the table, the beer sloshing against the sides of the mug. "Hey Bert," he said, speech slurred by alcohol, "nice catch today, eh?"

Bert grinned, squeezing a trembling girl in his large, hamlike hands. "Might lovely, ain't she?"

"Ain't ya, girlie?" He said, leering at the brunette. "Right pretty one, ain'tcha?"

The girl shook her head violently, struggling against the gag and his arms.

Bert laughed, gripping her tighter. "None of that, sweetie."

Ray eyed her, licking his lips. "All that fire... mmm..."

He reached out a hand, and Bert knocked it away. "Hands off!" He growled, pressing her against him. "She's mine!"

His eyes raked her form again, and he leered. "Ain't that right, sweetie?"

The girl sobbed, shaking pitifully against his arms. How had this happened?

None of them noticed a boy behind one of the many crates sneak out of the room. None of them knew what was going to happen, that they were in close proximity to a large party of adventurers. The men continued to taunt the girl and fight over who would have her first. The girl continued to cry, tears trickling down her face as she listened to the men 'discuss' her fate.

---___---___---___---

"Guys, we have a situation here. Two men in the next room holding a young girl hostage. It seems likely that the girl will be raped multiple times if we don't do something."

I grabbed a stick from the ground and began tracing the room. "Now, this is how the room is arranged. By the door are a number of rectangular boxes holding an unknown substance. The room itself is relatively bare, with only a round wooden table in the middle surrounded by six chairs. Torches illuminate the whole room, and the only other door is directly opposite from the entrance.

"As I see it, we have three options. First, we could blindly charge in and attack, screaming. This will probably result in a standard hostage situation, not to mention alerting the whole of the building to our presence, and should be avoided. Secondly, a spellcaster could hide behind the crate and incapacitate the men. Thirdly, we could form an over-the-top elaborate plan to secure the girl's safety.

"What say you?"

((Eev, I hope this version's better. I'm sorry for the last one; thanks for telling me about the whole rude-to-solo-a-room thing. ^_^))

((Quill, thanks for the tasty Bloodbag, it'll be appreciated soon enough. Also, DAMMIT EEV YOU MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO WRITE THIS UNLESS I CONTROL SOMEONE ELSE. It's the only way it'll work, since waiting for someone else to post won't work, because they'd leave it in a situation where it'd still be impossible to write this, even with a Pro-Rika mindset))

Blyss could hardly believe what these idiots had done. Where they really such wimps that they had hidden behind boxes? Fleshbag(Sec) decided that it would be a great idea to grab Blyss and pull her out of sight, much to her chagrin. Then again, she probably would have hidden anyways, though, hugging Rika probably couldn't be considered hiding. She was struggling the entire time, though a hand, namely Fleshbag's was covering most of her face.

When the thieves had left like the stupid idiots they were, Blyss chomped on Sec's palm, quickly draining a pint for good measure. She leaped out of Sec's grip, and complained rather loudly. Not with actual words, mind you, but it was a rather obvious complaint nonetheless. If these people stay cowardly the whole time, she wasn't going to get enough blood, unless she took out Fleshbag in the process, or that girl they just met. She did smell delicious.

"Hello Sweets, hope you were too badly damaged there! If anything happens to such a deliciously beautiful girl like you, I'd be rather saddened."

I yawned loudly, walking over to the quivering girl. I didn't know why, but I was really tired. I shook the feeling off, concentrating on bringing forth good bedside manners. Even though she was crouched against the floor and certainly not in a bed.

I sighed, surveying the girl. She was only 16- right about my age. Her hair was soft and brown, just like my sister's was. Well, before the Moblin's spear had stained it red, of course. Just goes to show; one decision in battle can cost you your life. For my sis, it was the decision to duck, instead of dodge.

"Hey," I said softly, kneeling down to her eyelevel, peering concernedly in her face. "Are you alright?"

The girl shivered, but didn't speak. I tried again, reaching out a hand. As expected, the girl screamed at slapped my hand away, scooting desperately away from me.

"Hey," I said gently, crawling forward. "Don't be scared! I'm not going to hurt you." I nodded up to the entrance. "The bad men are outside right now, don't worry." I smiled consolingly. "Don't worry. We're the good guys."

The girl sniffed, wiping her face with the back of a dirty hand. But still, she didn't speak.

"What's your name?" I asked, holding out a cloth I had taken from my pocket. Keaton skittered off my shoulder, clasped the cloth, and dashed over to her. He held out the cloth, his tail wagging.

The girl smiled weakly, taking the cloth and scratching Keaton's head. "B-bree."

"Bree?" I asked softly, resting back on my haunches. "That's a lovely name. Are you hurt?"

She shook her head slightly, hugging herself. "Mm-mm. My wrists hurt, but I'm okay." She sobbed quietly. "I'm okay..."

"That's right," I said softly, "you're okay. Listen, do you live around here? Do you have family to go to?"

"I-in the Western Caves," she said, "I got lost, and I found this place, and then-" she gasped, burying her face in her hands.

"Hey," I said soothingly, "it's okay. You're okay. I'm from the Western Caves too. You must've been very brave, to find your way here after being separated from your group like that."

Her head came up, her eyes brimming with tears. "I... I want to go home."

"I know," I said. "But you can't go like this." I glanced around, thinking quickly. She was in no condition to go alone. I could escort her back. Or...

"Why don't you come with us awhile?" I asked, and her eyes widened.

"C-come with you?"

"Yeah," I said. "We're going to turn this place upside down. Want to come with? Afterwards, when you feel better, you can go home."

She bit her lip. "I'm scared..."

My eyes widened slightly. That was bluntly honest, something I hadn't expected.

"Don't be," I said soothingly, "you'll be alright. Why don't you walk between me and... um..."

My mind flitted over my companions quickly. The Rito appeared scatterbrained, and I didn't trust her to keep Bree safe. Blyss appeared unstable. I knew next to nothing about Sec. That only left...

"Rika." He had shown interest in the girl's safety, diverting the men's attention from her and ordering me to help her. Perhaps 'trust' was too strong a word, but he was the best available option.

She threw her arms around me, thanking me again and again. Her thanks were interspersed with sobs, and I could feel my shoulder getting wet.

"Alright, alright," I said, grinning, "come on. We can't stay here forever. Just remember; first sign of trouble, make yourself scarce. Running away might not be the best idea, but-"

"I get it," Bree said, standing. "Let's go."

---___---___---___---

[[I'm starting to consider making Bree a PC. I don't know why, but I am... funny, though. I was planning for my next character to be a P5 dude, not a developing survivor. Still, this is more interesting than a P5... I think I'll keep this one. Sorry Chi-Chi.]]

Simple enough, no? Blyss let out a small yawn, and walked further into the thieves' den, humming a quick little ditty she once learned from the ambiance of the forest. A memory long past, sunlight shining through the foliage above her. Now she was stuck in this dank, dark place, a vampire who couldn't stand light because Gomess is a jerk, and toting around stupid people, but there was the sight for sore eyes, the wondrous Rika, the only light in her currently dim life.

She groaned as she walked into the next room, a riddle emblazoned on the wooden door ahead, even though it couldn't make any sense at all. She recited the riddle,

"Twice four and twenty blackbirds
sitting in the rain
I shot and killed a quarter of them
How many do remain? "

Blyss frowned, was this a mathematics question? That was the sort of thing she wasn't good at. She paced the room, and kicked the walls a few times while the others went about doing what they decided to do. She didn't even take a second look at the door, which was actually quite plain and simple if not for the ornate riddle on it, and just kept reciting the riddle to herself in her head.

I sighed, sitting down on the stone floor besides Bree.

I fiddled with a loose knob of stone on the ground. Great, a riddle. I love riddles. I fidgeted uncomfortably, shifting my tunic to a more comfortable position. Alright.

"So," I said to Bree, "let's figure this thing out."

"Alright," she said quietly, hugging her knees to her chest. "But I'm not too good at riddles."

"Well," I said, following Blyss' pacing with distracted eyes, "let's see. Twice four and twenty... that's where we should start."

She perked up. "Math? I like math!"

I grinned. "Good, 'cause I don't."

She laughed, and I continued on. "So, what's twice four and twenty, then?"

She pursed her lips, hand drawing absently in the dusty floor. "Well, that depends. Is it two times 'four and twenty,' or two times four comma, and twenty?"

"Hm. I'd go with two times 'four and twenty.'"

"Alright," she said, "then that means... two times 420..." I waited as she thought, watching her brow scrunch as she ran through the arithmetic.

I scratched Keaton's head absently, my eyes straying back to Blyss' pacing.

"I've got it!" She said excitedly, her eyes shining proudly. "If there were 840 birds, then there would be 210 birds left!"

"Nice job," I congratulated her, "you got it!"

I smiled at her glowing face. I could have done the math myself, of course, but this was an important step to her recovery.

"But," she said, frowning, "my daddy's a hunter. He keeps coming home, grumbling about how his partner sneezed and scared away the birds! If a sneeze scared them off, what would arrows do?"

Even better. "That's a very good point," I said, "you're right. In that case, there would be 0 birds left!"

"Yeah," she said quickly, "because they'd either be dead or gone."

I stumbled to my feet, reaching out a hand. "Well, come on, let's go tell the others!"

She stared at the hand, then grabbed it, and I pulled her up. "Let's."

[[That urge to make her a side-along PC with Marcus is rising... love interest!! Plus, it'll add a third element to the Marcus-Loft setting I have going on in my head :D]]

Due to an extreme lack of interest among the RP'ers, this thread is discontinued. It will now be moved to the Archives section.