Wing Dungeon [Darth Panther]

Wing Dungeon
- Yasmin Shahnaz, lovely spy (2/3/4) [Blonde Panther]. Reward: +40 Rupees.
- Judith Vilcaron, Priestess of Nayru (1/5/2) [Darth_Slaverus]. Reward: +40 Rupees.
Theme Music

She was hiding, furiously grateful that her presence had not yet been picked up on by the robed Stalfoses in the middle of the room. Normally she wouldn't have any issues with dispatching them, especially in her more tightly-fitting clothing, but this time was different. She'd just witnessed these Stalfoses coldly murder the Hylians they'd caught sight of.

Yasmin had provided herself with access to the Wing Dungeon in hopes of acquiring the fabled riches that lay hidden within its depths. She had done her homework when the girls had brought it to her attention, and managed to sneak in after a team of archeologists that wanted to explore the place itself to determine what its purpose and significance was. Yasmin was fine with that- as long as they didn't try to turn her in, she certainly wasn't going to get in their way.

Sadly, they'd ran across the Stalfoses that had been busy with... something... in the middle of the entry hall. They hadn't shown much mercy, but while the monsters had been busy coldly murdering the men and women, Yasmin had seen her chance to get off alive. Currently, she hid behind an old, toppled, useless mine cart, with one dagger in hand and the other hand supporting her on the floor, ready to jump up at a moment's notice and take as many of them down with her as she could, potentially even surviving.

Fortunately, none of the Stalfoses noticed her presence, and after a short while of them bunching together and Yasmin mentally cursing them and wanting to scream at them that they had to haul themselves out of this room, they left. There was no door, so the intruder waited for a few minutes until her heart slowed down and she was certain they weren't returning. "Holy mother of Farore," she muttered to herself as she got up, sheathing her dagger, "What was that all about?"

Sifting through the package of documents that had been delivered to her doorstep two weeks ago, Judith consulted the map provided within before examining the campsite around her. All the landmarks checked out, and the thick smell of gunpowder hung heavy in the air... This had to be where the archeologists had set up their headquarters. So why was the area completely deserted? Battling a growing sense of unease, the priestess began a more thorough search, investigating each individual tent for signs of life. She wasn't late, was she? She looked over the papers in the package once more, wondering if she had made a mistake.

About a month ago, the local Canoness had alerted Judith to a most intriguing opportunity: A historical institute from the Castle-Town had discovered a sealed ruin in the forests west of the capital, and were assembling an expedition to excavate it. Her Holiness was personally acquainted with the researcher in charge of the project and had offered to introduce Judith to the man, believing it would be both a valuable and enjoyable experience for a fledgling priestess. Judith had gratefully accepted and established a written correspondence with Archibald Loncaster, the lead archeologist. He had seemed delighted by her interest, sending her the bundle of materials she now held in her hands, which included a map, a roster of the expeditionary team members, a short description of the ruin, preliminary notes on their objectives, and a letter thanking her for her participation, with a hefty sum of rupees attached in a parcel, intended as a tithe to the Cult of Nayru.

The mere presence of the campsite suggested she hadn't mixed up the dates, and sure enough, upon pouring over the briefing, she found that she had indeed arrived at the correct time. Confusion and concern gnawed at her as she resumed her search, but all she was able to find inside the tents were the various personal possessions of the researchers. Had they gone ahead without her? Surely they wouldn't leave all this behind... Even if they had moved on, they would have left someone to guard their belongings.

With her attempts to locate anyone within the camp proving fruitless, Judith proceeded to the one place she had yet to visit: The large, looming stone structure on the outskirts of the camp that must have been the digsite. While the walls of the structure were solid and impassable, a single crude opening existed in the centre. The irregular shape of the passage was consistent with what a bomb's detonation would produce, and the lingering stench of gunpowder, much stronger now, confirmed her suspicions. As she drew near, however, a second scent wafted into her nostrils, the implications of which were far more frightening. Blood...?

Eyes widening, Judith hurried into the dungeon before her, only to be greeted with a horrific sight. The bodies of several Hylian men and women lay sprawled across the floor, blood pooling from terrible wounds.

"Sweet Mother Nayru, what happened here?" The young priestess whispered, her voice shaking. Throwing caution to the wind, she rushed over to the fallen forms in the futile hope of administering medical aid. As she knelt beside the corpses, Judith lost herself in prayer, having never seen such violent death up close before. Such was her shock that she failed to realize that she wasn't alone in the chamber...

Yasmin checked the ID of a few of the archeologists, since it was only a matter of time before someone found them and it could help in explaining her presence there without telling the truth. After memorizing a few of the names, she took cover, transforming into her more innocent-looking robed outfit, just in case.

Her prudence was not for naught, as it didn't take long for a young woman in the garb of a priestess to enter. Yasmin observed her for a few seconds, not wanting the risk of her being hostile, but when she didn't start devouring the corpses, instead seemingly praying for them, she felt safe enough to leave her hiding place. "Be careful, Sister," she said. "I have yet to find out how they were killed. If it's evil magic or a contagious infection, you could be putting yourself in serious danger by getting so close."

Upon coming closer to the priestess, Yasmin noted that she was young, and pretty. Not overly stunningly beautiful, more of a subtle, almost unnoticeable beauty. However, this was not the time to think of pretty girls, this was the time to keep pretty girls out of trouble. Before the priestess could focus her attention on the Gerudo, she pulled out one of her fake IDs, checked if it was the right one, and held it in such a way the priestess would be able to see it. "Ismaire Asim," she introduced her false identity, "Hyrule Castle Town guard. I was sent with these people to protect them, but it appears they found an untimely demise before I arrived. 't Is sad..."

Nearly jumping out of her skin as a female voice addressed her, Judith forced herself to her feet and whirled to face the newcomer, who introduced herself as a member of the Hylian Guard. Apparently, she had yet to identify the cause of death.

"W-Well, I would say these people d-died of either blood loss or t-trauma from their i-injuries!" Judith stammered out, baffled that this so-called guard could miss something so obvious. The enigmatic soldier seemed to believe that whatever had taken their lives would afflict any who came near the bodies, but Judith was skeptical. Even if it were the case, Judith's personal connection to the excavation team compelled her to act. In lieu of assisting the archeologists with their study, she could at least put them to rest. Drawing strength from her convictions, Judith stood up straight and banished her fear. "Danger or no, it is my duty to ease their spirits. I must finish my prayer." With that, she returned to her ministrations.

Approaching the nearest corpse, Judith held out her staff over it and closed her eyes. "Mother Nayru, I beseech thee, take these intrepid souls into your embrace. They have perished in the pursuit of knowledge, the noblest of all pursuits, and their loss is a great blow to Wisdom. Let their sacrifice not be in vain..." She murmured, falling silent as she completed her prayer. She then repeated the process, moving to each body in turn, reciting the same verse every time. When at last she had completed her ritual, Judith turned back to the guardswoman to examine her more closely.

The first thing the priestess noticed was the woman's tanned skin and red hair, which gave her a certain exotic beauty. Combined with her unusual name, it was evident that she was a Gerudo. A Gerudo in the Guard was a strange occurence, but hardly unbelievable. Indeed, the Gerudo's cultural aptitude for the arts of war would make them a valuable asset to Hyrule's military. It also made sense that the institute would have contacted the Hylian Guard for security. What WAS suspicious was the woman's outfit, which did not resemble a standard issue uniform whatsoever. Robes instead of armour? No footwear of any kind? Not that Judith minded, but that seemed very impractical for a soldier. Surely the Guard had a dress code? This "Ismaire" seemed more like a priestess than a warrior.

"Now... Ismaire Asim, was it?" Judith looked over the proffered identification card, but found nothing out of the ordinary. "You say you're with the Hylian Guard? You don't look much like one of them..." Failing to conceal the wariness in her voice, the priestess kept a safe distance away from the mysterious woman. There was always the possibility that she was the one who had killed the archeologists...

As expected, the priestess called 'Ismaire' out on her unorthodox clothing for a guard, as well as on her not knowing what caused the death of the research team. Fortunately, the Gerudo would not have gotten this far in her chosen profession had she not been swift of mind as well as of body. "Well, yes, Sister. However, we do not know how these injuries have been inflicted. If they were inflicted by magic, enchanted weapons, or small, dangerous organisms," she suppressed the urge to bare her non-existent fangs and curl her makeshift claws as she said that, "then there is a risk that we ca suffer the same or a similar fate by coming too close."

"As for my dress, I assure you that despite it, I am in service to Hyrule's guard. I'm a member of our stealth department, and our general preferred to send one of us than a heavily armored, tall and broad fighter who could fall to his death by a single misstep. I could tell you more about the reason I specifically was sent, but then I'd have to kill you." Hoping for that joke to imply she was a spy sent by the general, which might not kill the priestess' wariness but certainly her questions, she put her fake ID away and crossed her arms.

She had a story ready in case the priestess asked after her race, but she didn't, so Yasmin figured she'd ask a question of her own. "I was told a priestess would join us, but I haven't had your name. Might I ask you to introduce yourself, Sister?"

"O-Oh..." Judith pursed her lips as she processed this new information. A spy? Why would the Guard send a spy to monitor the excavation team? Was there a matter of national security at stake? The priestess preferred to believe that her government was above silencing the scholastic community... Still, whether or not the Gerudo's intentions were pure, cooperation was the wisest course of action. If she was telling the truth, there was nothing to fear from her. And if she wasn't... Maybe she could coax something out of Ismaire before she revealed her true colours.

Recovering from her momentary timidity, Judith retrieved the package of documents on her person and offered it to Ismaire. "Forgive my lack of manners, milady. I am Judith Vilcaron, an acolyte within the Cult of Nayru. Sir Loncaster, the leader of this expedition, thought that my religious background would enable me to provide insight on the nature of these ruins, and I had hoped to satisfy my own curiosity. As proof of my identity, I submit this parcel, which was given to me by the institute to prepare. Perhaps it may contain evidence that will help us in unravelling the truth behind this tragedy. I entrust it to your care."

While it seemed naive to hand over the documentation so readily to someone whose motives were unclear, Judith reasoned that this act of trust would convince Ismaire, if she was in fact lying, that her deception had completely fooled the young priestess. A counter-deception... It was unfortunate that she had to employ Nayru's gift of intelligence for something so ugly.

For a second or so, a small, cat-like grin invaded on Yasmin's face, but she forced it into a normal smile almost immediately. Right now, it was irrelevant whether or not the priestess believed her- she had just handed over a parcel containing valuable information- if not to the purpose of this place and the brutal slaughter of the excavation team, then to the riches that lay hidden within it. Yasmin told herself she'd let Agnes look over it once she got home- it looked like there was a lot of documents in here so it would take a while, but Agnes was good with mind-numbing tasks. She'd be fine.

"Thank you, Sister Judith. I will be certain to look into things once I have established that we ourselves are safe." Yasmin put the parcel away, before turning back to look at the fallen team. Loncaster... that had been the man in the middle, right? "I have found traces of monsters," she said, which was not a full lie. She KNEW there were monsters in here... "If you hold no mastery over offensive magic, I think it would be best that you stay very close to me. I wish to investigate, however, so if you are afraid, the opposite would be better and it would probably be better for you to leave this place now."

Honesty, Yasmin would be fine either way. She preferred to walk alone, but even though she didn't show it this was a really damn cute priestess. She never minded the company of pretty girls. Never.

Ismaire's suggestion was a very tempting one. Had she not been a woman of the cloth, Judith had little doubt that she would have taken it and fled from this unholy place without a second thought. But all it took was a single sidelong glance at the fallen forms of the research team to renew her resolve. Not only had their lives been unjustly stolen, but their valiant quest for knowledge had been sabotaged! This atrocity could not go unanswered!

"Unfortunately, I fear that I have indeed neglected to study the finer points of offensive magic. And I would be lying if I said that I was not afraid... But-" Judith's face hardened into a mask of grim determination- "The mystery of these ruins has yet to be deciphered, and if there is evil here, it must be purified. These are tasks that I alone can do. Please allow me to accompany you, Miss Asim. I promise that I will not be a liability if battle is joined. At the very least, I will be able to heal your wounds." Of course, the ever-watchful Judith had not entirely dismissed her suspicions about the Gerudo, but her plea was no less passionate for it. One way or another, she would get to the bottom of this. If that meant travelling with the murderer for a time, so be it.

As she waited for the guardswoman to reply, Judith surveyed the corpses strewn about the chamber once more. Something was nagging at the back of her mind, as if there was some detail she'd overlooked... Suddenly it occurred to her, and she grew pale as she frantically turned to Yasmin.

"Wait! Th-there aren't enough bodies! I remember... In the letter Sir Loncaster sent me, he stated that there were fifteen researchers total on this expedition, including me... Yet I can only count ten bodies in this chamber... There are four people missing. They might be deeper inside... By Mother Nayru, they could still be alive!"

Crud. Not all members of the exploration were dead. If they were to run across any of them in the dungeon itself, they would blow Yasmin's cover immediately- there had been no arrangements for a guard to accompany them, of course. The impostor immediately wished the priestess would change her mind and leave the dungeon. She could think up a new excuse for her presence if she ran across the investigators, but making it line up with what Judith would remember... Suddenly this seemed like knocking her out and running deeper into the dungeon before she woke back up was a much better idea.

Still, Yasmin had chosen to go with infiltration and she would stick with her plan. She forced her expression of horror into a more peaceful one. "Calm yourself, Sister. If that is the case, then we have to search for them immediately. But you'll be of no use to me in this blind panic." The Gerudo put her hands on the shoulders of the Hylian. "Breathe. Calmly. I will not leave until you're calm."

In her current outfit, Yasmin had no access to weapons. As in, at all. And transforming was not an option, so it was fortunate that she had enough freedom of movement to protect herself and the priestess with simple hand-to-hand combat.

Face flushing in embarassment as Ismaire seized her by the shoulders, Judith nonetheless did not try to escape the woman's grasp. After all, the Gerudo had a valid point. The young priestess was somewhat ashamed of her own lack of composure. Even in the direst of circumstances, a servant of Nayru had to be a beacon of clarity. She was allowing her inexperience to get the better of her. Reminding herself that she was the master of her emotions, not the other way around, Judith followed Ismaire's instructions, closing her eyes and inhaled deeply. As she exhaled, she meditated upon the tenets of her faith to soothe her anxiety.

Still... Miss Asim's forwardness had caught her off-guard. Being so close... Memories of when she had been a mere initiate came flooding back to her, accompanied by the feelings and thrills she'd felt as she gazed upon the Priestesses of Nayru. Unhelpful feelings that challenged the sincerity of her devotion. Frustrated by their sudden resurgence, Judith suppressed the tide of memories and resolved to focus on the task at hand.

Opening her eyes, Judith stared back into Ismaire's and relaxed. The priestess was keenly aware that her cheeks were burning red, but steadfastly ignored it.

"I am calm, now. Please forgive my outburst. I... Today has just... not turned out like I thought it would. I can barely keep up with all of these tragic developments. H-How do you propose we proceed?" Assuming Ismaire was telling the truth about being a member of Hyrule's military, she probably had a superior knowledge of small-unit tactics and room clearing.

Now Judith was calm, but Yasmin was mentally still kicking herself. How was she ever going to talk herself out of the mess she'd gotten herself into? She knew a sharp tongue could easily slit its own throat, but no one had told her the same thing went for a silver tongue! Still, she refused to show her distress, not just because Judith might catch on but because the alternative was the priestess copying her panic. One of them being upset and out of it was bad enough.

The priestess asked for the thief's advice on how to advance. "That's better," the Gerudo said, smiling, as she tapped the priestess' cheek. Oops, was that too forward? She didn't really care all that much. "Give me a second here..." Yasmin took a few seconds to pretend she was lost in thought, while all she really did was hammer out the details of her plan. "Well, we haven't been attacked yet, which is always a good thing. I don't think we have to worry about ambushes. The stealth division is trained to be observant, and besides, the monsters that supposedly lurk in here are far from the smartest in Ganon's army."

She put one hand on her chin. "I can protect us, but ideally we'd look for a weapon of sorts. At any rate, let's not stay in place for too long. We'd be sitting ducks." Stepping towards the hallway leading deeper into the crypt, she held out her hand. "Shall we then, Sister?"