Through the Fire and Flames

Julius walked through the chamber once more. It was hot -- hotter than it had nearly any right being, especially with his Goron Armor on. Then again, he was walking past exposed magma -- what was he supposed to expect? It wasn't going to protect him perfectly all the time. Either way, he needed to find what he'd come here for -- a Temple of Din was supposedly in the vicinity, and housed some artifact or another that he was supposed to come and retrieve.

Why did he always have to do this? Because Castle-Town is filled with babies.

As he looked through his surroundings, he wasn't surprised there might be a temple dedicated to Din around here. As a Goddess of Earth and Fire, this place would be a utopia for any followers of hers... but supposedly, it had been abandoned long since, but he didn't know why.

The flames grew more intense, suddenly -- the temperature seemed to skyrocket for an instant, before he finally saw why. He finally saw it. The temple. It was extremely dilapidated; in a state of disrepair, lacking maintenance, whatever you may say. It was trashed -- but Julius didn't know whether this was before or after it'd been abandoned. He headed towards the temple, the temperature still high enough to cook anyone who wandered in unprepared alive. It was to his surprise, then, when he saw a Deku Scrub sitting at the entrance, in some kind of... prayer position. The red garb he wore, however, told Julius all he needed to know, except for why he was here. Julius walked until he was a fair distance away from the Deku -- before he looked at the Scrub and spoke up.

"Hello, I'm Julius Surgate. May I ask what you're doing here?"

"I guess you could call me a follower of Din, though I've never thought of it like that," Julius said, looking at the Deku Scrub. It was very obvious that he was an acolyte, and a very pious one at that. He was obviously no slouch in combat -- seeing his gauntlets burst into flame. Not seeing any weapons on the Deku's body led Julius to believe he either fought barehanded, or was a mage in some capacity; if he was here to hunt monsters and clear these ruins, then there was only one thing to do if he wanted to find out.

"Well, you could say I was sent here to retrieve some artifact or another, but if you're intent on restoring this place, I'd rather help you than some weakling bureaucrat in Castle-Town," Julius spoke to the Deku. He knew himself -- and indeed, many of the followers of Din, to have a strong sense of honor when dealing with things like these. He knew better than to get in the way of someone with a mission. "I'd still like to see what it is, though," Julius said as he continued walking towards the Deku. "I think it's time this place gets renovated a bit, starting with the eviction of its current tenants." Julius knew it was an awful line, but that didn't stop him from saying it.

As the pair would enter the temple, they would come across a sparsely decorated worship space -- though whether this was through intentional design or damage caused by monsters, Julius couldn't say. Large fire pits sat on either side of the oddly huge spherical room, both still filled with ashes from whatever fires once burned there. Across the way, open walls lead further into the temple, though Julius was wary as to his surroundings at first. "You... know what temples of Din are usually like, yes? Perhaps you should lead the way," he spoke to Tent, drawing his blade from his scabbard.

"Know how to use it? I was born to use it," he said, narrowly avoiding a Like-Like as it attempted to inhale him into his body. Julius had always hated how slimy those things were. Another tried the same tactic -- only to have it fail as he buried his sword hilt-deep within its flesh. It wriggled in pain, trying to get away from his blade, but that only made it worse; soon, he would tear it from the beast with a Spin Attack, cutting through the entire rest of its flesh and also into that of the others as well.

He, however, was not so absorbed in combat that he'd stopped paying attention -- no, he felt the Like-Like slithering, squirming behind him, and brought his shield before him. It entered into its maw, which was almost a good thing; Julius slashed across its hide, burying his blade inside of it. His blade was stuck; apparently, the skin of this one was just so much... stickier than the others. It disgusted Julius, but as he brought his foot to the beast's skin, it soon lit up in flame -- Julius snapped his fingers, unable to retrieve his sword. This would have to suffice. He abandoned his blade there, as he knew Like-Likes had difficulty eating through things like Mirror Silver. Really, they were only capable of eating iron and flesh... which would have been worrying, had Julius not fought against such creatures before.

He disengaged the Like-Like, summoning a Keese as he did so. He'd have to use it as a distraction for as long as he could -- until Lexi could finish it for him. There was still another, but Tent seemed engaged with it -- how was the Deku faring, anyways?

Julius squinted as the explosion of light assaulted his senses. Well, I guess that answer that, he thought to himself as Lexi's blade found its way through the monster's flesh, cleaving the creature in twain as the fairy once more returned to the void. It was a curious conundrum; was she frozen in time, there? How did she pass it, time? Was she frozen in being, enjoying sparse moments of activity only whenever he so needed her? It was difficult to tell, and remorse filled Julius' mind.

Yet, she was of such use in this state. He dreaded having to make the eventual decision of her fate. But, there were more pressing matters -- like Tent's impressive takedown of that LikeLike, and his immensely successful martial techniques. There was some spellcraft involved as well, but his use of his body was simply superb. "That was great," he said, genuine enthusiasm in his voice. "Maye you can teach me to fight like that some time," he said, regaining his blade from the fallen LikeLike. While talking was all great and jovial, they -- or rather, Tent -- had come here for a reason, and he had every intent to see it through to the end.

He approached one of the hallways that lead further into the temple, Tent not being too far behind. As he entered into the hallway, he posed a question to Tent: "What made you become an acolyte, anyways?" It was a genuine question -- he hadn't had many religious events in his lifetime, and he wondered what could make a Deku Scrub, of all things, such a fanatic of the Goddess of flame. Maybe it was just dumb luck; perhaps, there was some life altering story about it. Regardless, Julius moved forward, searching for whatever foes may be hiding in secret.

He raised a hand as a signal to Tent as they approached an open-air pavilion. Two Dinolfos could be seen sparring against each other -- maybe they were Acolytes as well? Julius drew his blade and signalled for Tent to go on ahead, hoping for another Acolyte -- if that was the case -- to be able to communicate with them more effectively.

Julius stood back before the entrance of the training grounds, watching as the Dinolfos spat fire at Tent -- causing him to immediately spur into action. His blade was still drawn -- simplifying the process, at the very least. He simply charged at the two Dinolfos who were no doubt too occupied with Tent to have any foresight into Julius' attacks whatsoever; he leaped up and over Tent, and higher still, soon higher than the pair of lizards who were nearly a foot taller than he himself. His blade smashed into a scimitar -- apparently they had noticed, but would they notice his trick? Snapping his fingers on the way down, he decided to summon Lexi once more; he had decided she would swing down towards the Dinolfos he had just leapt over. All he needed to do now was keep the pair of them preoccupied.

He lead on with a Spin Attack -- three seconds. Another block and a quick jab would put him at four. The jab had pierced the Dinolfos' hide -- something he hadn't meant to do. It just needed to stay put a second longer... Acting out of desperation, or perhaps some kind of plan, he leaped over the lizard again -- just as a blade sprang forth from the same vortex, slicing deep into the creature, nearly completely bypassing its guard. Just like that, Julius' sword cut deep into the lizard's head, nearly decapitating it. He turned to face Tent, who was still engaged with the other of the pair.

Julius began to analyze what he could of Tent's fighting -- he certainly seemed to fight as he'd described earlier, moving much like the flames of Din herself. He would be an ally, that much was sure -- he would want; no, need, to stay in contact with this individual for some time. Perhaps a reprieve from his usual companions would do him some good, now that he finally found someone who didn't seem like a total psychopath, or a criminal, at the very least. Not that he had any ill will against Gustav, of course -- simply that he and the merchant had two very different interests.

"The artifact doesn't matter." Julius cast his eyes down to the Dinolfos who now lay on the ground. "Good work on subduing him. I... am less experienced in nonlethal takedowns, so it's good to have you." He noticed Tent's eyes looking down and away from the lizard. "But, sometimes, we've got to do things that don't seem all that great, morally. Thankfully, this isn't one of those times." He brought a length of rope from his Adventure Pouch. He rolled over the unconscious Dinolfos, and began tying its hands.

He stirred as Julius fiddled with its clawed hands. However, the weight of the armored killing machine resting on his back made it nearly impossible for him to move; or, at least well enough for him to do anything. The Dinolfos felt itself be flipped over, and came nearly face to face with the black-armored warrior who had killed his former opponent. He took a deep breath in, feeling the fire in his stomach expand, grow... and then he released it all out. Usually, they screamed a fair bit; but this one didn't let out a peep. That was fine though. He liked those ones better. All he'd have to do now is... Wait. What? He was still there.

Julius felt the intense wave of heat impact him. It wasn't too hot -- not much hotter than his surroundings, at least, and certainly not all that hot with his Goron Armor on. As the Dinolfos looked at him, he began to remove his helmet. He knew the creature was already more than afraid of him. "You," Julius narrowed his eyes, looking straight at the creature. "Stand," Julius ordered. He projected his voice, like he was training a recruit. He made sure the Dinolfos knew to comply without having to explicitly state the consequences.

He was in sheer disbelief that the Hylian could withstand his flame, of everything. He was simply in disbelief that this Hylian -- and whatever that Deku Scrub was -- managed to take it in full force. He listened to the Hylian intently, following his commands as precisely as he could, for fear of his life. After all, it seemed like the both of them could... He didn't want to think about that any more. He tried to stand as best he could, rocking himself from his prone position onto his feet, and then standing again. The Dinolfos laid his eyes on the Hylian's incredibly stern face, awaiting more orders. "Why are you here?" The Dinolfos thought for a second. He had no idea why he was here.

"Comfortable," he muttered under his breath. "Heat is... nice. Makes it easy to live." He cast his gaze to the Hylian once more.

"Then you should know where something I seek is," Julius addressed the Dinolfos. It was surprisingly well-spoken -- more so than the comparative bumpkins he usually dealt with. "It's a scroll. It has..." Julius thought on this for a second. What exactly did it say? "It's got... pictures. Probably a lot to do with setting yourself on fire." That probably describes all the damn literature in this place, Julius thought to himself. "Take me to the books."

And so the Dinolfos lead. It wasn't exactly far, but... It was still some distance, and it wasn't exactly appropriate to describe it as negligible. There were rows upon rows of books and volumes -- everything from the basics of swordsmanship to complex smelting and smithing processes... many of which Julius was already aware of, and the others he hadn't the time to look over. What was important was finding this scroll. It had... some kind of technique on it, he could recall, but he hadn't exactly been told any more than that. He kept looking over books, surprised at their relatively good condition... it was probably weird magic stuff. That was pretty common with all the religious cults -- they always had to have some weird magic going on. Julius shrugged, continuing to pour over the contents of the place...

Eventually, he happened upon a scroll. It looked rather worn, and in shabby condition all around. Much worse for wear than the rest. He started unrolling it, examining the contents of it... It seemed pretty archaic and dated. Maybe Tent would have an easier time deciphering it, if he wasn't already attempting to convert their once-enemy. It seemed far more open to being talked to once it knew both of them could kill it.

As he walked, scroll in hand, he noticed Tent talking the Dinolfos, looking remorseful all the while. His hands were still bound? That was curious -- he could have sworn he had told him to leave whenever it wanted to.

"What are you doing?" He gestured to the Dinolfos' hands. "You can go, as soon as I unbind you." He began working at the hemp rope which bound him -- more than likely, it could have cut through it, or set it alight or whatever else it desired. The fact that it remained there, bound, seemed more like a choice to Julius than anything.

He finished working the rope fairly quickly. "No. You strong. I stay."

"So --" Julius was cut off in his response as an intense, searing wave of heat emanated from beyond and above the temple. Even through his Goron Armor, he felt like he was melting, but it passed as quickly as it had set upon them. "Urgh!" Julius let out a wail of pain as his flesh was assaulted by the heat. Had he not been wearing his Dodongo Hide, he'd likely have been killed, right then and there.

The Dinolfos was sprawled across the floor. It was still conscious, but it obviously hadn't been expecting such heat. To be fair, neither were either of the two reclaimers. Julius picked up the Dinolfos. He slid the scroll into his Adventure Pouch before lifting the reptilian creature up, and onto his back. He began looking around for any sign of that heat wave. "Tent," he spoke hastily, unsure of whether or not they could remain where they were. "Do you have any idea what that was?" He began moving through the temple, keeping the lizard situated on his back."Come on, we're taking this guy with us. I don't think we can stay here." And so, Julius began to move through the temple.

The crossed a hallway or three before coming into another room, just as open air as much the rest of the temple. It was some kind of dueling ring as far as Julius could tell -- there was a barred door leading deeper into the temple, as far as Julius could think. He immediately began to look around, seeking for some kind of way to open the door. As he continued to search and search, he eventually settled into the ring. "Maybe we have to have some kind of match or something to get deeper in." It made sense to Julius, at least, considering this was once refuge for a cult that followed the Goddess of Power. Maybe it would make as much sense to Tent as well.

"I am... less than skilled without my blade. I will admit that I am actually quite poor at using my bare hands, which I used to think as ironic, given the need to incapacitate in a nonlethal manner in my profession. But, eventually, I got sent to deal with more and more dangerous tasks, which, more often than not, required the use of lethal force. But enough about that." Julius took off his sword's scabbard, and laid it on the ground outside the ring. He did the same with his ring, and his helmet, and eventually all the rest of his armor, too.

Except for his tunic, of course. He looked at the Deku Scrub in front of him. "If I'm not getting to use my weapon, then I may as well not use my armor, either. I expect the same of you, of course. A warrior's courtesy." He was unsurprised when Tent agreed. "If I may propose something else, as well, the match may also be won by a ring out. At least, I think that's how it usually goes, right?" He was unsure, and that question was only somewhat rhetorical-- but, soon enough, he dropped into a stance matching Tent's own. The fight was upon them, it seemed.

Julius was unsure of what exactly to do. It... was not too much different than wielding a sword, no? He knew how to fully extend the use of his body through a three foot-long piece of metal, but hadn't the idea of how to use his own fists. At least, not particularly well. It was why, when he threw the first punch, it was slow, sloppy, and didn't quite make use of his own oversized musculature. The blow -- if it even hit Tent -- was definitely not his best, but seemed to be nearly an example of the best he could do with what he knew, or could imitate from his opponent.

Julius felt his fist grabbed -- Shit, was all he managed to think before he was already slumped over, Tent's fist boring into his barely covered stomach. While it had perhaps not worked out as Tent intended, there was still an opening here; though, Julius was rather quick to recover from it, rolling into a standing position just behind Tent. He stood, watching the Scrub carefully. He wasn't sure how to press his advantage -- in other situations, he'd be more than happy to, but he considered Tent a friend already. He wasn't so quick to hurt his ally.

He closed the distance in a step, or perhaps two, as he swung at Tent again, just a bit faster than last time. Of course, it was less of a swing, and more of an attempt to grab hold of Tent; if Julius could pin the Scrub, perhaps that would satisfy whatever was halting their progress further into the temple.

A roar was heard in the distance of the volcano. It was odd, bonechilling, almost, but for a moment, Julius was distinctly afraid, even if he had already killed and maimed dragons many times his size. But was that a dragon? Who knew. It certainly sounded like one, to Julius at least.

Regardless, it was enough for him to waver for a second, halfway through his blow. No doubt Tent would use this against him, perhaps resorting to the same tactic he had used before, so Julius had opted to instead rush the Deku Scrub with his full mass and all the force behind it. If he was successful, and the Scrub hadn't managed to dodge to the side, it would almost certainly be a ring out. If his endeavor was not successful, however, it would be almost a certainly that Tent could use his mass against him, and lead him to a ring out with little effort.

There was, after all, a reason that Julius was a rather poor brawler.

And, with that, the match was concluded -- the bars lifted quickly, allowing them to progress further into the temple.

Julius lifted himself up from the ground, looking over to Tent. "Great match. Mind giving me some pointers after we deal with clearing out this temple?" Perhaps they could restore it, as well -- but Julius was far from solely devoted to Din, not that it mattered at the moment.

He donned his armor, grasping his shield and feeling the familiar heft of his blade in its sheath at his waist. Wordlessly, he approached the door, lifting it open and allowing Tent through before it shut behind them. The Lizalfos was no doubt strong enough to lift it if he so desired to follow them, but considering all that was happening, perhaps he chose to not follow them any further into the temple.

It was beautiful, seemingly carved into the rock of the mountain, much like the rest of what surrounded them. Here, much of the rest was what Julius assumed to be some kind of . . . barracks, would be his guess. It was all also open-air, unobscured by a roof; but, even so, the walls were rather high... high enough that climbing them would have posed a problem, he absentmindedly thought, while looking through some of the rooms they passed by. Weapons, armor; what you would expect from a temple devoted to the Goddess of Power. Julius began to speak to Tent, "So, when we clean this place out... do you have any plans for it? I can't imagine it would be too terribly hard to restore it to whatever glory it used to have. Its location seems... almost ideal, for the followers of Din, given its proximity to the heat of an active volcano. Even if her followers aren't the keenest users of magic either, I can only guess at what all the libraries here hold."

Julius stopped for a moment, at an archway that lead into a wider area. The entire structure was almost labyrinthine; it all looked alike, and he was beginning to think they were simply looping around to somewhere they had been before, even though he knew that to not be the case. He continued talking, as he walked into the larger area -- it almost seemed like something you would see in a more traditional chapel, sans the pews and generally crowded assembly area. However, there was still what you could call a stage, where sages of the faiths would speak -- and atop it, at the moment, was a heavily armored figure, kneeling down and uttering what vaguely sounded like prayers to Din. "I think it might even outclass the one in Castle-Town," Julius muttered under his breath to Tent while observing the armored figure. It didn't seem as though it was overtly hostile -- for now, at least -- and it wasn't waving a sword at either of them, so he merely allowed the figure to continue its... prayers, he figured, in peace. "If you want to try talking to the figure up there, go ahead -- I'll look around here, for now. Maybe try and see where that roaring is coming from..." His tone was still rather hushed; if they alarmed the figure, Julius thought they would probably turn hostile... considering the nature of this place and everything else inside of it, at any rate.