This One Time, In Moruge Swamp

(Also known as Blyss's Zora hunting Bonzai)

Lit by the full moon's glow, Blyss road Ezlian sidesaddle as she flew over the swamp, looking around for the sight of the Snowy mountains of the North. She'd never find them because she was simply not in the right place, but she would keep up her search, eying weakling Zora down below, swimming up and down the rivers and estuaries. She grinned as she watched, at their pathetic attempts to be powerful and spread their reaches.

She observed the ants for a bit for her own amusement, until an arrow suddenly struck her, knocking her off Ezlian and into the river below. She sank below the water's surface, as some blood leaked from her shoulder into the murky water of the rive. She attempted to regain her composure as she was lifted out of the water by a River zora by the back of her shirt. She began flailing, but the river zora had a good grip and had Blyss in a position where her ability to move was limited. All she could do for now was bide her time until he loosened his grip...

Sapientia walked along the faint path through the swamp. Meeting the River Zoras had been fascinating. He wished he could stay longer, but they had, quite unfairly as far as Sapientia was concerned, made him leave early. He had wanted so badly to learn of their kind too. Suddenly, Sapientia heard splashing from the river below. He walked to the edge of the path and looked down. Was that... A kokiri? Sapientia thought for a moment. Don't they stay in the forest? What would a kokiri be doing here. Then, he noticed the river Zora. It held on to her by her shirt, and held her in the water.

Acting instinctively, Sapientia let loose a blast of ice from the palm of his hand, careful to only hit the Zora. Bullseye. He hit the River Zora right under the eye. The Zora made a pained face at the sting of the ice, and let go of her shirt, slinking away back into the murky depths of the river. Continuing to hold out a hand, Sapientia fired a blast of frigid air from his palm. The air froze a small path along the river to the kokiri girl. Sapientia carefully put a foot on it and pushed. It seemed sturdy enough. He walked down the path of ice, and stopped in front of her. "Can you climb up onto the path, or should I help you?" Sapientia asked the kokiri.

"Nay," said Rayna, watching the magician help the tiny one, "It's a Kokiri, probably older than you or I. The mar, though, seems to be easy pickings." Hidden as they were, Rayna watched with Hat as events unfolded. Rayna, at least, saw no point revealing themselves as of yet. Once they knew more about both the people in front of them, they could work their magiya.

"Those little guys are creepy." Hat muttered. "Livin' for hundreds of years, but always lookin' like you're eight? Dang, just... why..." She shuttered inwardly at her rambling thoughts---no matter how you framed it, being a kid forever was just undebatably creepy in Hatshepsut's opinion. She and Rayna sat some ways away from the action, avoiding detection by either the River Zora or the travelers. Perhaps this encounter would turn their luck around and make the journey into the swamp actually worth their time...

Ignis stared up to the stars, the gentle sound of rustling water cascading through his thoughts. The scrap of driftwood against his back felt intimate, as if the wood was but an extension of the Deku. It was all that remained of his passage to the South, the ship he had sought safe voyage on having been besieged by raiding River Zora just hours prior. Most of the passengers had drowned in the dark, murky waters of Hyrule Bay surrounding the Morgue Swamp, while those still breathing had been taken by the fishmen, their screams echoing through the dank night. Call it dumb luck, or intervention of the Golden Goddesses, but for some reason Ignis had been spared. Had he not fallen upon the savior he now drifted on, the Deku would have met his match at the hands of the icy grave that sloshed around him, churning and gurgling. He could smell the swamp, the scent of mildew and rot wafting in from the north. Ignis' eyes closed, the steady sway of the waves rocking towards a restless slumber. Ocean sounds whispered in his ears, the gentle lap against the shore, a distant crash of water tumbling to the bay, the tell-tale splash of a body hitting water... Wait, a body hitting water? Ignis shot up, his hand gripping the Fire Rod that lay to his side. The Deku scanned the shore as he pulled his all-encompassing robe tight to his form, the tension numbing his fingers and legs. He could hear a commotion through the trees, a short scuffle, and then... silence. Shifting his weight, Ignis made land on the nearby shore. There was makings for a fight tonight, and he wasn't about to miss a chance to take his due vengeance. They had ruined his vacation, after all.

"I'm fine, nothing the likes of me can't deal with. Just going to be hungry quicker. Mind feeding me?" Blyss asked nonchalantly as she pulled herself onto the Poor wizard's Ice platform with her good arm. She turned her head to the boy's with a large grin, as she slid herself back to shore before dealing with the arrow in her shoulder. She graspped the arrow, and clamped her teeth, and ripped out the arrow quickly.

The quicker the better. It'd heal faster if it was an open wound and nothing got in the way. The pain could be easier to deal with, but it'd be fine. At least she wasn't one of the hylians, they'd get ill around this place easily, dealing with insects and the like. All of their kind were vulnerable to disease much more here than many other places, especially with the murky unclean waters of the swamp.

Dispare was floating around, she could already begin to prepare for an encounter. She licked her lips, hoping to smell blood on the air that didn't come from her.

The kokiri pulled herself onto the ice. She was dripping wet with the murky water of the swamp, but she didn't seem to mind. "I'm fine, nothing the likes of me can't deal with. Just going to be hungry quicker. Mind feeding me?" Sapientia was glad she was alright, but payed the question little mind. To be honest, he was just excited to meet a kokiri. Whoever she was, she must have been pretty tough, as she pulled an arrow right out of her shoulder, and seemed relatively unhurt, despite the wound. "So" Sapienta said, stopping for a moment to think. "What are you doing here? It's quite far from Kokiri Forest, isn't it?" Sapientia acted calm, but he was thrilled to meet a kokirir. Most Hylians never got such an oppurtunity, as they were very rare outside of Kokiri Forest. Sapientia thought of some questions. He'd make sure to ask them later.

"Alright, my droog. I believe we've seen all we need to see. The more I see from the mar, the easier he seems. My thought is that we ingratiate ourselves in, find an opening later. Any objections, devitsa?"

Not giving Hat an actual chance to say something, Rayna rose, out from the foliage. "Hile, friends!" He said as he came into view, his voice most cheerful. "It seems you've met with a beast of the swamp. A slovo of warning for you, then: you've got several more just under temnyy water yonder!"

Saying such, he readied an arrow to draw, should one of the Zora surface.

Hat crinkled her nose. Rayna's plans usually paid off, but she wasn't so happy with how comfy he had gotten with ordering her around. She filed away a mental note to remind him of this fact later. For now, though, she would follow his lead and put on a personable front for their new 'friends.'

The dark was not a friend of Ignis'. Twisted branches tore at his robe while gnarled roots stumbled his step, the full moon's glow barely seeping into the murky thicket. Muffled voices floated on the air, leading the Deku like audible breadcrumbs through the trees. The gentle squish beneath his feet echoed like a drumbeat, eliminating any chance of surprise. Ignis slowed his step as he reached the racing sound of flowing water, certain his potential "allies" were feet away. The mad Deku grimaced, the smell of blood fresh in the dank night air. He shook his head as a light mist began to fall, cursing the heavens. Nothing else could possibly make this night worse now. With a deep breath, he readied his act, hobbling out from the underbrush, moaning and panting. "S-someone help... a-anyone.."