| Welcome to Wells Of Silence. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| Doom Part Two; TEH WAR OF AGES | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 7 2008, 03:24 AM (2,002 Views) | |
| Tiger Festival | Feb 7 2008, 03:24 AM Post #1 |
|
I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but you don't realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Dark was angry. It was more than that, though. In reality, he was seething. Mostly, though, his rage stemmed from his own carelessness. He’d become so used to his mission having nothing to do with Hyrule that he’d simply assumed the same would hold true. He’d signed the contact without having all of the details, and his nonchalance caught him in a trap. On the flip side, there were some pros to having to fight Hyrule. The pay was excellent, and this time, he didn’t have to worry about carrying out mundane jobs or any of the negotiations. In fact, Dark could mainly do whatever he wanted, so long as it didn’t hurt Lagaria. I wonder how the others will handle this? he mused, shaking his head. They’ll probably be as ecstatic as I am. Too bad there’s no way out of it. Dark had, after all, tried every possible way he could think of, but in each attempt, he was slammed in the face by his contract. It had been very well thought out, with no hole left uncovered. He was to serve until victory was met, he died, or Lagaria gave up its attempt. If he tried to leave, then the soldiers were allowed to jump him. Dark didn’t want to fight Hyrule, but he wasn’t so adverse to the idea that he’d give up his life. Not when he was getting paid so much. As it stood, Dark was with the first army that was moving toward Hyrule, and at the moment, they weren’t very far from the border. Due to the position of Lagaria, they were at the border that was between the Lake and the Forest. This was, far as Dark could see, the easiest and safest route; the Kokiri couldn’t attack, and the Zoras would be all but defenseless out of the water. With the size of the army they had, even though they were far away from Castletown, they’d still at least get in without dying. Not that Dark was worried about his death, anyway. All the same, he kept himself alert, just as he always did, ready to defend himself and counter-strike at any moment. He wasn’t stupid. He knew that although he was getting paid, and although the generals were very happy about having him along (apparently, his reputation preceded him), that didn’t mean those he was traveling with could be trusted. And nothing stopped the Sheikah from being sneaky bastards. So, he kept on the alert, tuning out the various chatter of the soldiers he was with. He’d been touched with quite a bit of irony lately, in his mind; he was joining an attack on the country he’d helped to save. Yes, irony did have a way of getting to him. It most certainly did. While Dark lingered on the side of the middle of the group, the generals remained upfront. One of them was named Rov. At thirty-nine years old, Rov craved war and battle, and had ever since he was a child. It wasn’t so much that he enjoyed the bloodshed, or that he delighted in conquering his enemies; Rov merely loved the taste of strategy and the adrenaline rush that battle gave him. He loved the sense of knowing what he was doing, and getting a certain goal accomplished. War had always intrigued him, and he’d always hoped that Lagaria could one day become a great, imperialistic nation. By helping to lead the invasion on Hyrule, and – in his mind – by conquering it, he’d be accomplishing his dreams. At the moment, Rov couldn’t be happier. “Hyrule’s in sight, boys,” he called back, laughing as his cool gaze surveyed the expanse of grass out before them. “Soon all this land will be ours.” Excited murmurs ripped through the crowd behind them. “And after that, it’ll never have to worry about a stable government!” “Don’t get so cocky,” Dark called ahead, and Rov glanced back at him. “Hyrule is not as weak as you think it is.” “Not that we have to worry about that, eh? You’re working for us.” It almost sounded like it was merely another remark of confidence, but Rov’s words carried an almost unnoticeable threat to the words. Dark didn’t respond, but he wasn’t too worried, either. He was fairly certain that he could handle Rov on his own, after all. If the rest of the group turned on him, though . . . Well, that’d be a rather different story. Dark took a breath, closing his eyes momentarily to slip in a calmer, meditative state. It didn’t matter. It was his job. He’d merely do his job. Everything would work itself out from there. Besides, Rov was right. Hyrule was in sight. There was no turning back. |
|
How to Plot: Think of the worst thing you can do to a character, and then do it. Karin || Raisuke || Anko || Tobias || Ralm | |
![]() |
|
| Royal Crablettes | Feb 7 2008, 04:40 AM Post #2 |
|
Get your Ribbons Off of Him!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Valdis was less enthused than her fellow general, to be sure. Neither laughter nor smiles passed her lips as she surveyed what they could see of the distant Hyrule Field over the crests of the hills rolling down to the vale. Her expression remained curiously blank even as Rov laughed and proclaimed Hyrule’s proximity, save for faint satisfaction in the jut of her jaw and arch of her eyebrows. She hadn’t made it in the military ranks by being terribly emotional, after all. However, at Dark’s comment, her gaze shifted to him curiously. He was not the only mercenary in their company, but in her mind, he was certainly the most unusual. Despite the solidity of his contract and the exorbitant sum to be paid, she wasn’t so certain of his loyalties. Something about the pointy ears and the crimson eyes and what she’d heard of Sheikah and shadows bothered her when she looked at him. “What is your connection to Hyrule, anyway?” she inquired, tone clipped and a bit hoarse from years in the military, shouting orders to underlings. If Dark had already been asked this question, she didn’t know, as she hadn’t been the general who had made the contract with him. She was largely in charge of their contingents of ranged fighters – archers and crossbowmen, mostly – and so dealt little with mercenaries who did not fall in that category. And ordinarily, she would not have bothered to learn much about this swordsman, except… he made her uneasy, though she did her best to prevent this unease from showing. 0=0=0 If the Lagarians thought they would have a free ride into Hyrule, they would be proven sadly mistaken in the very near future. At the moment, their army did not move secretly, for hidden eyes watched them, tense and waiting for the right moment for action. Lagaria had not yet officially declared war on Hyrule, at least not openly, but no one on either side had any delusions about what was /really/ going on – not with this first army marching on Hyrule, anyway. Even so, Hyrule wasn’t going to make any moves until the Lagarians actually reached the border. Currently, the army was in a technical no-man’s land, and without a declaration of war, Hyrule wasn’t going to attack them there. That said, Hyrule wouldn’t let them just cross the border freely, either. And that was why several ‘ambassadors’ waited there, on the border, to tell this army to get lost. If the warning went unheeded, as it was bound to be, however, it wasn’t as if the five who were waiting were left without backup… But Hyrule had a lot of magic power at its disposal, and among it was a certain Light Sage who knew how to manipulate light to make things appear invisible for a time. There were a few groves of trees there, at the approximate border, and in their shadows the five waited. (( I’m presuming that Link will be among those five, but who else? Obviously Nabs wouldn’t let him there without at least one Elite close by and probably not hidden in illusion like any others would be… Nila’s there, but she’s probably hidden by her own illusions. Impa, maybe? Zelda herself wouldn’t be. But who else…? )) |
|
There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother. ~Astrid Alauda | |
![]() |
|
| Tiger Festival | Feb 8 2008, 03:03 AM Post #3 |
|
I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but you don't realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Dark shifted his gaze to look at Valdis, studying her carefully for a moment. Though he was hired to serve their army, he wasn’t under complete jurisdiction of the generals, and thus, he’d mainly do as he pleased. Still, he knew that he was bound by the contract, and there was nothing he could do. He had to do his job. Luckily, his meditation practices calmed him down enough to answer her without any emotion, though with a sincerity he hoped she’d buy. After all, he was being honest. “My connection to Hyrule is irrelevant,” he responded evenly. “I am here to serve Lagaria. I will do what I am paid to do. Nothing more, nothing less.” As they reached the border, though, Dark stopped, glancing to the side. A few of the other soldiers glanced at him, and though Rov was about to say something, he’d noticed what Dark had sensed. “Ah, so we have a welcoming committee? How pleasant.” His tone, though, suggested that he found it much less than so. From where Dark was standing, he couldn’t see who was standing in the shade, and he was sure that they couldn’t see him. He was blocked mainly by the other soldiers, and he made no attempt to come out at first, instead merely waiting to see what would play out. Dark didn’t want to fight for Lagaria, after all; he had no personal feelings to want to protect any of those that he was with. If he did, it would be out of obligation, not out of desire. At any rate, one of the members of the group stepped forward. He was a noble, dressed in fine clothing with a rapier attached at his waist. “A welcoming committee? Of sorts.” The noble stepped forward, his arms crossed over his chest. “Hyrule has no need of your services. You may as well leave now.” Rov chuckled. “I disagree. I think Hyrule does require our services.” “Yeah, well, you’re wrong.” Anko spoke up now, her gaze hard. “So get out.” “No.” Dark sighed. It was going to erupt into a fight anyway, and eventually, everyone would have to know that he was employed by the other side. So, he stepped out where everyone could see him clearly, and said flatly, “This is going to go nowhere, so we may as well start this now.” He reached behind him and pulled his sword, the blade glittering in the sunlight. “Call out whoever’s hiding, and let’s get started.” |
|
How to Plot: Think of the worst thing you can do to a character, and then do it. Karin || Raisuke || Anko || Tobias || Ralm | |
![]() |
|
| Royal Crablettes | Feb 8 2008, 04:28 AM Post #4 |
|
Get your Ribbons Off of Him!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
“No connections to Hyrule are, at this point, irrelevant,” remarked Valdis. “If only so we know if there is some place where you shouldn’t do battle or if you have knowledge of Hyrule we deem useful and, perhaps, necessary. You are being paid to serve Lagaria and help ensure our victory as your commanders see fit – not as you see relevant. Remember that.” But now was not the time for debate, and she moved away from him, taking her place back with the other generals. She did not speak, leaving that to Rov – he was more eager for it, after all. Instead of focusing on the noble, however, she peered at the figures beneath the trees, gleaning whatever she could from what little she could see; it seemed a small party, but something didn’t seem right to her about that. Surely there were others? But if so, where…? She was distracted from her scanning by Dark’s movement, and she gazed at him sidelong, eyes narrowing. Damn mercenaries always thought they knew best when it came to starting things, didn’t they? Part of the value of the verbal bickering bound to occur while each side ritualistically tried to get the other to back down was to give the troops who’d been on the march all morning a short time to rest and alter formations, if necessary. Moreover, time to survey the battlefield and estimate opponent strength and location was always invaluable. However, Dark in his infinite wisdom and apparent impatience had just cut short that time, or at least seemed likely to. Valdis decided that Dark annoyed her more than anything else, at this juncture. Meanwhile, Link had been about to say something glib to Rov regarding the requiring of services – probably something not quite so respectable and kind to say, but certainly guaranteed to evoke a reaction. However, the words and smirk died on his lips at that familiar voice and the glint of light off that blade, gripped by familiar hands of a familiar figure. The Hero of Time stared at his cousin in shock, disbelief widening his eyes and slackening his jaw. He took an almost involuntary step forward, aghast. Navi, too, stared. “Y-you!” “So,” said Link, eyes upon Dark and only Dark, at this point; his voice was strange, as it strove to be toneless, but failed, coming across as strained and unhappy. “/This/ was the job you were talking about? … Nice to know how loyal you are, Dark.” Link swallowed, and abruptly he shifted moods, forcing himself into stoicism, channeling the anger, the outrage he felt into tensing for the impending fight. He couldn’t help but glare at his cousin, however. “Hmph. So be it. Consider Dark Black Marked for the King.” The last he added in the Gerudo tongue for Anko and the other Gerudo present’s benefit. If pressed, Link would have explained that he knew Dark to be a formidable foe and didn’t want anyone to risk facing Dark, except Link. Moreover, Link retained some slight hope of talking Dark around. If nothing else, the two were pretty evenly matched, ensuring that Dark wouldn’t be able to kill anyone from Hyrule, if Link kept him entirely occupied. “It’s also nice to know, by the way, that Lagaria is so insecure in its ability to conquer Hyrule that it resorts to hiring on whatever it can find,” remarked Link, snidely. He drew his sword, and Nila smiled faintly, preparing to drop her illusion, just as soon as the time was ripe… |
|
There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother. ~Astrid Alauda | |
![]() |
|
| Tiger Festival | Feb 8 2008, 04:54 AM Post #5 |
|
I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but you don't realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Link’s words cut deep. Dark was loyal. The only problem was, he hadn’t known what he was getting into, and he couldn’t break his contract. He was loyal, but he wasn’t willing to give up his life. Not when he’d lost so much time already. However, Dark wouldn’t show what stung. So, instead, he merely shrugged. “I was careless and impatient, so I signed before knowing who the opponent was. That doesn’t matter now, though. A contract is a contract, and I have a job to do.” Anko, meanwhile, merely stared at Dark in shock, and then looked to Link at his words. “Y-You aren’t going to kill him, are you? He’s . . . He’s Dark! He might not really be serious about this, he . . . He could still be on our side.” “Whatever we find around? Hah!” Rov laughed. “Not that we needed strong forces, with how weak this nation is, but we only hire the best of the best.” Rov hired his head at Dark. “We were lucky to get this one. So long as he can get over that cocky streak of his, we’ll get along just fine.” Dark rolled his eyes and muttered, “Try taking your own advice.” Then, he raised his voice. “I already told you. Hyrule isn’t weak. Keep that attitude, and this will die out here.” Then, to himself again, he added, “Hopefully.” Anko took that moment to speak up. “If you were loyal, you’d still quit after learning of who the opponent is! Who cares about a contract?” “I do,” Dark snapped. “There’s no way to break it.” Anko rolled her eyes. “How about you try walking?” “If I do that, it’ll be the same as deciding that I’d rather not live. Now, are we through talking? As I said, I’d really rather get this over with.” His eyes locked on Link. “Speaking of not living, though, you’d better fight to kill, Hero. At least, when you’re facing me.” “As I said, best of the best. He knows better than to go against his contract.” Rov shook his head, and then extended his own sword out. “Now, I think it’s time we finished off the welcoming committee.” Anko drew her weapon, though her eyes were still on Dark, and the almost deadened look of determination in his eyes. He was so eerily calm . . . She repressed a shudder, and looked back to the group that Nila was keeping cloaked. Then, she looked back to the army, and Dark. It was going to be one hell of a fight. |
|
How to Plot: Think of the worst thing you can do to a character, and then do it. Karin || Raisuke || Anko || Tobias || Ralm | |
![]() |
|
| Royal Crablettes | Feb 8 2008, 07:57 PM Post #6 |
|
Get your Ribbons Off of Him!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Much of Link’s anger was frustration with Dark, while more of Link’s anger was vexation at Lagaria seeking to invade. In any event, when Dark revealed his reason for allying with Lagaria was carelessness, that merely shifted the balance and did not decrease Link’s negative feelings at all. Link did not look at Anko as he said, “He’s serious about this, Anko. … I don’t want to kill him, but I don’t want anyone else killing him.” Of course, that didn’t quite answer Anko’s question, but that was all right, because Link didn’t know himself. He really didn’t want to even see his cousin there, but at the same time… if killing Dark was necessary… if it couldn’t be avoided… No. Link wasn’t going to think about those possibilities – not now. Valdis, meanwhile, frowned slightly, glancing from Dark to the ‘welcoming committee’ and back again. “Irrelevant my ass,” she muttered, shifting away from the other generals to a position from which she could easily command the ranged contingents. She signaled them to ready their weapons, and she waited for it to begin. When Dark locked eyes with Link and said what he said, Link did not respond. He heard Dark and understood him, but the Hero had nothing to say to that – at least, nothing that could be said then and there and so publicly. Navi, meanwhile, let out a cry of dismay. Dark’s earlier mental observation that “nothing stopped the Sheikah from being sneaky bastards” was, unfortunately for the Lagarians, quite accurate. The Sheikah almost delighted in being sneaky bastards beneath their careful façade of emotionlessness, and now, this became quite apparent, for all of a sudden, a flurry of shuriken and kunai sped from nowhere into the ranks of the Lagarians. It was only after this shower had begun that Nila dropped the illusion covering those Sheikah and Gerudo and Hylians who had come and shifted her energies to readying other forms of Light magic to employ. (( I’m presuming the Gerudo would not wish to start attacking their opponents until the opponents could see them… given that the Gerudo don’t much care for the Sheikah subterfuge. Hence, no arrows from them. With the Hylians, I wasn't sure... so I kind of... ignore them. Yeah.)) |
|
There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother. ~Astrid Alauda | |
![]() |
|
| Tiger Festival | Feb 8 2008, 09:44 PM Post #7 |
|
I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but you don't realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The battle started in chaos. Dark had been expecting something of the sort, even though he hadn’t told the Lagarians this (because, as he’d tell Valdis if she asked him for information, he was their soldier and not their spy, and he’d act as such), and so he was able to react in enough time to avoid getting hurt himself. He was going to focus more on Link, originally, since he wasn’t sure how prepared for war – actual war, real war, where people died and you couldn’t help it and you had to kill other human beings because you had no choice – his cousin was, and he wanted to find out for himself, but someone else caught his eye. As soon as the illusion was dropped, the Hylians had moved forward, getting into a melee of sorts right there on the field. It was hard not to, what with the fact that the flurry of weapons had caused the Lagaraians to react with cries of dismay at the unexpected (well, for them) occurrence, and the battle started without much more time for reaction. Because of this, four foreigners on Hyrule’s side were immediately swamped, and though they moved fluidly and with a sync that almost looked telepathic, Dark knew they were going to have difficulty. He didn’t care about three of them, but he knew that one of them was injured, and that chose his opponent for him. I am taking her out of this fight. She’s going to actually get killed, otherwise. Because of this, though he took one swipe at Link, it was mostly to push his cousin out of his way. Immediately after he pulled back his sword, he spun out of the way, allowing another Lagarian to launch himself at Link as Dark moved past the Hero of Time. Karin had just moved one Lagarian off her when Dark launched himself at her, and she barely had time to raise her blade in order to block his. Her golden eyes widened in shock, and she shook her head. “D-Dark! You can’t—!” She didn’t have time to finish, because he twisted, striking her blade again. Dark didn’t answer her, but at the same time, he hoped that she got the message. The message that it was downright stupid for her to be there, that she shouldn’t have been – not in her condition. He would have lectured her, just like normal, except that he didn’t have the time, and because of that, he was going to deal with the issue in a faster way. It didn’t take him too long to disarm her, her sword landing in the grass a few feet away. Karin’s eyes widened in surprise, and she stared at him, and at the expressionless look he was giving her. Then, he said something (that she couldn’t hear), and the next thing she knew, he was shoving her toward Jamie, who was sitting just out of the range of battle. Then, he spun, slamming the side of his sword into the head of a Sheikah who’d attempted to stab him from behind, and he moved back toward Link, taking the opportunity from one of the Lagaraians who had been dealt with by the green-clad Hero. “Think fast, Hero!” Dark called, swinging his sword down toward Link’s shoulder. Dark wouldn’t hold back on Link as he had on Karin, and he sincerely hoped that Link wouldn’t hold back on him (or anyone else, for that matter) either. “I really hope you left that heart of yours at home,” Dark added, whether or not his strike was blocked. They were close enough now so that they could talk, but that their words wouldn’t be overheard. “You either need to lose that, or your stomach. Either way. This isn’t a normal battle situation, in case you haven’t noticed.” Rov, meanwhile, was enjoying the battle immensely. It was chaotic, but either way, they had enough soldiers to deal with the chaos, even though the Sheikah were making quick work of some of the soldiers. Even so, the redhead that stood nearest Dark’s double was surrounded, and those that had been near the girl with two-colored hair that Dark had dealt with were still fighting as best they could under the circumstances. True, Rov was a bit annoyed that Dark apparently knew these people, but he didn’t care, so long as Dark did his job. That was all that was important. Meanwhile, Karin was annoyed with Dark, and she tried to push herself up to get her sword. Jamie, however, put a hand on Karin’s arm, and pulled her back down. “You’ll be killed!” “No I won’t! Toph can cloak me temporarily!” Karin looked down to the pine marten briefly, and he nodded. Then, she looked back up at the fight, her eyes seeking Dark. “But what was he playing at? Why did he do that?” “He’s the enemy, that’s why.” “No, I mean . . . Dark knew what happened. He knows I’m injured, and he disarmed me. Why didn’t he finish me?” Jamie shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know, but you can’t go back out there. You shouldn’t have been out there in the first place.” “Jamie, I’m fine!” “No, Karin!” |
|
How to Plot: Think of the worst thing you can do to a character, and then do it. Karin || Raisuke || Anko || Tobias || Ralm | |
![]() |
|
| Royal Crablettes | Feb 9 2008, 02:35 AM Post #8 |
|
Get your Ribbons Off of Him!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
(( I forgot to mention this yesterday, but tomorrow is my niece’s birthday (the youngest one, Eowyn), and we’re going up to my sister’s house for the day to celebrate it. Yeah. I should be back in the evening, though. Also, if I’m not on when you get back, I may’ve gone to bed.)) To Valdis, the fact that Dark knew these people was of utmost concern. Regardless of Dark’s opinions on what he was to them, the contract was clear that Dark was to do what he could to aid the Lagarian victory. It did not say acting purely as a soldier was all that entailed. True, that could be assumed, as he was a hired /soldier/, but even with that in mind, it was no stretch to think offering what information he had was part of the deal. However, the midst of battle was neither the time nor the place for this sort of discussion, so Valdis swallowed her irritation and concentrated on directing her archers to fire into the thickest group of Hylians. Nonetheless, she observed that Dark seemed to expect the hail of projectiles. If they both survived this battle, she intended to have a talk with him and with the general who had hired him. Link at first attempted to simply fight Dark, but his cousin moved, and Link couldn’t get to him, for there was a Lagarian to take his place. At that point, Link made himself stop thinking and acted by pure reaction, fighting on instinct more than planning, because he knew if he thought about what he was doing, then he would be unable to do it. He didn’t want to fight a war, really. He didn’t want to kill, didn’t want to die, either. Didn’t want to see others die and kill. But there wasn’t much choice in the matter, and so here he was, not thinking about life and death, but reading others’ movements and countering them, pressing advantages and fighting. He didn’t fight with all he had, because his whole being wasn’t in the fighting, but Link was a more than capable fighter, and it was not overly difficult for him to deal with the ordinary Lagarian soldiers. It was surprising how easily a well-honed blade could slide through flesh and snap bones. It was equally surprising how difficult it was to merely knock out or otherwise disable an opponent in the midst of a life-or-death battle. But Link didn’t think about that, and he didn’t let himself be surprised. He fought, and he killed, and he heard Dark’s voice and twisted towards it, moving his shield to deflect the blow aimed for his shoulder. // “I really hope you left that heart of yours at home,” Dark added. They were close enough now so that they could talk, but that their words wouldn’t be overheard. “You either need to lose that, or your stomach. Either way. This isn’t a normal battle situation, in case you haven’t noticed.”// Link’s eyes narrowed, and he clenched his jaw. “No, really?” He made no comment regarding hearts and stomachs. The redhead Rov had seen become surrounded didn’t remain entirely surrounded for long, however, as Nila, who seemed to be almost enjoying herself, blasted two aside with a shock of lightening. Technically, lightening was better suited to an air mage, who could manipulate the air to cause friction and thus generate the sorts of charges that produced lightening naturally, but the electricity itself – the lightening was much closer to light magic than anything else, lending its direct manipulation to Light mages, too. “How you holding up?” she asked of Anko, moving so that she could cover Anko’s back, if Anko covered hers. She twirled her spear (which she had used as a channel for her lightening) before using it to block the slash of a sword. Meanwhile, Zyr was in the midst of battle, but he was nigh to the edge beyond which Karin and Jamie were, and Bith had, at Zyr’s bidding, remained near Karin herself, meaning that the black fairy was now with the pair of Westarian girls and was privy to their conversation. “Dark probably doesn’t want to kill any of us any more than we want to kill him. Thus, he disarmed you and knocked you out of the battle,” offered Bith as an explanation for Dark’s actions. “Anyway, Zyr and I agree with Jamie – it’s barely been a week since you’ve been up and walking. You still need to heal!” Regarding Zyr and the fighting, it was impossible at this point to tell what he was thinking, but if one had been offered a peak into his mind, one would have noted that he was, among other things, saddened by it. He saw the angry spirits of those dead clinging to their bodies in confusion and disbelief. Battlefields were rarely pleasant places for anyone, but for those who could perceive the dead, they were worse, in a way, for mingled in with the din of battle were the cries and laments of pained, unhappy, furious and grieved souls. If he had been another sort of necromancer, he may’ve put those souls to use, binding and then channeling them, perhaps even reanimating the corpses to assist in fighting, but he didn’t approve of that sort of thing, generally, and so took no part in it now. If things became desperate for the Hylians, it was a measure he’d consider, but as it stood, he fought only with his weapons for the moment. |
|
There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother. ~Astrid Alauda | |
![]() |
|
| Tiger Festival | Feb 9 2008, 05:06 AM Post #9 |
|
I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but you don't realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
((Valdis can talk to Dark all she wants. He’s not giving up that information. xD He won’t give the Hylians information on Lagaria (unless they’ll lose without it), but he won’t give up information on his friends, either. Or on Hyrule. She’d have to detain him as a prisoner and torture him for a good long while before he’d do it. xD)) “Yes, really,” Dark replied, stepping back only to spin into another strong attack, his sword aimed toward Link’s mid-section. “And it only gets worse from here. The first battles are never all that bad. It’s the fights later on – the fights when both sides get desperate, and when civilians get involved – that are the worst. Are you prepared for it? I wondered, when we went against Vaati, if you’d ever killed another human being. If you’d ever taken life from someone who had family, friends . . . I still never decided on what I thought, but if I had to guess, I’d say not before today. “Just think of them as the enemy, though, Hero. They’re still human, but tell yourself over and over that it’s you or them, and so it has to be them. Same here. I don’t want to have to fight you, but since I won’t be released from the contract, I’ve no choice. So, you have to consider me as your enemy, and thus, you have to kill me. Or, you have to try to, at least. I’d rather die than fight on this side, honestly, but I’m not going to just let you kill me. Then again,” Dark paused, and laughed. “You’ve already done it once, so it shouldn’t be too hard to do it again. Just remember. I’m the enemy.” Dark’s own voice, now, was a mixture of regret, frustration, and dry amusement, though perhaps that was because he’d grabbed some of the soldier’s alcohol before they’d left the camp, and had downed some. He wasn’t drunk, but he was at least tipsy, making his meditated efforts where off in favor of other mood swings. That, along with the stress, was causing him to chat a bit more as he fought with Link, though he still put the effort into it. “So, can you do it, Hero? You’d better be able to do it. I’ll be damn insulted if I don’t get a fair fight out of you, so you’d better stop holding back!” Anko, meanwhile, was grateful for Nila’s assistance. The battle was too chaotic for her to use the Fuuma Shuriken at the moment (since she wasn’t as skilled with it as Raisuke was), so she was using her sickle and chain instead, aiming for the vitals. Killing wasn’t that bothersome to Anko, since she was a Gerudo and was raised on the idea, so when she saw soldiers drop in spurts of blood, choking as their eyes widened in panic, she barely flinched. The fact that they had families and such didn’t affect her; after all, it was a part of life, and it was their fault for being there in the first place. “I’m fine. I just got a bit overwhelmed – thanks, Nila!” Anko turned, slicing the blade of her sickle through the exposed neck of another soldier. His eyes flickered to her, widened, and then he dropped, the blood squirting out of the new wound that had caught its way through his jugular. “I’ll be fine, Bith!” Karin was saying, meanwhile. “Besides, Lak’s actually fighting this time! He needs help!” “I’ve got him covered!” Carien called, flipping to slam his hanbo into the face of one of the soldiers. There were two blades extended from either end now, and he used one to kill another man. Lak, meanwhile, was using paint soaked daggers with surprising accuracy, though it should be noted that he looked very unhappy about the situation. “No, but . . . agh! I just need my sword!” Karin looked longingly at it, but Jamie shook her head. “Bith is right. You don’t need to die, Karin.” “I won’t die! Jamie~!” “I said no!” |
|
How to Plot: Think of the worst thing you can do to a character, and then do it. Karin || Raisuke || Anko || Tobias || Ralm | |
![]() |
|
| Royal Crablettes | Feb 9 2008, 06:18 AM Post #10 |
|
Get your Ribbons Off of Him!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
((Oh, I never honestly considered that he would. However, Valdis doesn’t know Dark all that well, as you can doubtless tell. Whee~!)) Link blocked Dark’s next blow and made his own strike for Dark’s arm. He made no effort to tune out what Dark had to say, instead listening to every word, although initially he didn’t respond. Instead, he gripped his hilt tighter as he twisted to avoid a swipe from Dark and aimed a blow of his own towards Dark’s hip. Dark’s lecture wasn’t helping Link in his quest to not think, not worry about the deaths he’d caused and might still cause. Rather, it was causing Link’s mind to move away from concentration solely on physical action and reaction and towards the blood staining his sword and spattered on his tunic and the idea of later battles and having to do this all over again. And then… that kicker of a line. “You’ve already done it once.” If they hadn’t already been fighting, Link might’ve punched Dark for that. As it stood, that line really struck home with Link. He /had/ killed Dark once, already. It was in an alternate time, but for Link, it had happened nonetheless, and he remembered it clearly. While technically he’d been seventeen, his mind had still been more of a ten-year-old’s (although by the time of the Water Temple, it had started to shift into a half-way point, a strange mixture of adult and child), and while other fights had faded a bit in his memory, that one stood out clearly; it had been a rather traumatic one for Link. After all, how often did one fight one’s shadow ‘clone’ to the death? In any event, Link snapped, “Shut the fuck /up/, already!” as well as a few profanities in various languages. Although several nerves had been touched by Dark’s speech, Link couldn’t bring himself to say anything more than curses and the request that Dark quiet hinself. “No problem!” replied Nila, ducking the swipe of a sword as she thrust her spear up through a man’s stomach and into his lungs. She used his body as something of a shield, thereafter, while she wiggled the spear right back out. “Easier to fight with someone at your back, anyway…” Nila had absolutely no qualms about killing, either, it seemed. Several years ago, she would have, but she’d lost so much innocence since then that bloodshed now failed to bother her even a little. Perhaps killing was in her blood. Or perhaps the subtle splintering of her mind into multiple personas had enabled her to only care about the deaths of others when absolutely necessary. “Listen to Jamie, Karin,” cried Bith. ((A note on Nila: The splintering was how her mind shifted to deal with it all. That’s why her moods switch abruptly, and why sometimes she’s so blank, others she’s strangely cheery and others she’s still different. It’s not multiple personality disorder exactly, though, as she retains memory throughout all the changes. She’s not aware of the shifts, but she is aware of what happened during it all, if that makes any sense. Also… any necro!Zyr stuff will come next post.)) |
|
There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother. ~Astrid Alauda | |
![]() |
|
| Tiger Festival | Feb 9 2008, 07:11 AM Post #11 |
|
I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but you don't realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
“Why?” Dark demanded, meeting Link’s sword with his own. “If I do that, you might not be able to do what I want you to do, and that won’t do at all, now will it? The question is rhetorical, by the way, if you didn’t catch that.” He swung his blade toward Link’s shoulder again, adding, “You’re going to need to deal with this sooner or later, and it’s best for you if it’s sooner. After this battle, if killing is going to make you sick, then I suggest you get it out of the way. The sick, that is, not the killing. The killing won’t stop as long as this war goes on. That’s what war is, after all. It’s killing, killing, and – get this – more killing! Men, women, kids . . . Fathers and sons, and cousins, too. Obviously.” Dark sounded almost casual about what he was saying, but there was still a serious edge to his voice that showed he wasn’t playing. While Link and Dark had equal fighting experience, Dark felt that he had more experience in the art of war, since Hyrule hadn’t seen such a war in a long time. Thus, he felt that it was his duty to at least speak of it to some extent, even if his words weren’t appreciated. In fact, it was better that they weren’t; maybe it would cause Link to mull over them, and thus sink in deeper. Perhaps it’d provoke Link to come at Dark more strongly, because Dark still had a suspicion that Link was still holding back. “It’s not easy to get used to, but you don’t have a choice, do you? You have to fight in this. So, you might as well get used to the slaughter all the sooner. True, the longer I stay alive, the more chances you’ll have to just fight me, but sooner or later our fights will have to end, and history says that you’ll be the victor. I won’t make it easy for you, as I’ve already said, but they say that history repeats itself and since you’re the Hero of Time, I suppose that’d hold true. Besides, irony seems to adore me as of late, and what way of dying would be more ironic than to be run through by your sword again? You just have to step up the game a bit, and I’m sure you’ll manage.” Dark moved a bit closer, and raised an eyebrow. “Or is your stomach not strong enough to handle it, Hero? Honestly, for the Gerudo King, you truly do seem to have a problem with this. It’s especially strange, considering that you’re also part Sheikah. Really, prove that you are who everyone claims you to be!” Karin, meanwhile, was not keen on listening to Jamie. She wanted her sword, which looked as if it was in danger of being harmed in some way as it lay upon the grass. She contemplated asking Carien or Lak to get it for her, but they were both wrapped up in the battle, and as she didn’t want either of them to die, she couldn’t ask them. The same was said for Zyr, who also seemed to be quite busy. Thus, she stood up (albeit a bit unsteadily) and was about to just run out and grab it when Jamie formed hand seals, causing water to snake up around Karin’s legs and hold her there. “Jamie, no fair! I can’t use magick on you!” Karin snapped, a note of bitterness in her voice. Jamie sighed. “I know that. But you can’t get your sword.” “Maybe I just wanted to stand up. Maybe—” “You’re lying. I can tell that you are.” Jamie looked sad. “Karin, I’m just looking out for you. Bith is too. Carien and Lak can handle themselves.” “Carien and Lak are getting all the fun, and Lak doesn’t even think it’s fun,” Karin pouted, and Jamie merely sighed. The problem with the Westarian mentality was that they were raised on wars and battles in school, and as such, most – such as Karin and Carien – viewed war as almost like a game. Before Dark had taken her out of the fight, Karin and Carien had discussed it, and had already decided to see who could take out the most opposing soldiers. Perhaps, once she’d actually committed the killings, Karin would have felt differently about it. Her brother had, after all, gone through many nightmares and rounds of guilt and horror after his first battle, and even during the ones after that. He’d never shared the fact with her, but the fact remained that the battles had traumatized fourteen year old Tobias, even if he’d learned to deal with the trauma after awhile. Perhaps it would have bothered her, as well, but perhaps it wouldn’t have. In any event, even though she could see and hear the ghosts on the field and even though she knew that killings were happening, Karin still wanted to be a part of the battle, and the fact that Jamie was preventing her from getting her sword frustrated her to no end. “I’m so ticked off at you right now, Jamie, you don’t even know.” Karin struggled against the water bonds, but Jamie merely shook her head. “You’ll forgive me.” “No I won’t!” “Yes you will.” “Well . . . I . . . Damn it, Jamie, just let me get my sword!” “No.” Karin let out a cry of frustration. Carien was nearby, though, and he took a moment to smirk at her. “I’m so kick your ass at this.” He blocked a strike from a soldier, and then to ask, “I’ve taken fourteen already, and you’ve only gotten two!” “I would get more than you if I could get my frickin’ sword! Maybe if you could help me out a bit . . . ?” “No way! I’ve got my own soldiers to take care!” Carien flipped his hanbo around and sliced through the chest of another soldier, though he took a bad hit on his leg. “Hah! Fifteen! But these bastards hurt worse than I thought they would . . .” Karin, meanwhile, glared solidly at Carien, and Topher wished that he was big enough to get Karin’s sword for her, for she was his partner, and he’d always side with her. Still, he wasn’t big enough, and he didn’t want to get stepped on or killed, so he stayed by Karin’s side. |
|
How to Plot: Think of the worst thing you can do to a character, and then do it. Karin || Raisuke || Anko || Tobias || Ralm | |
![]() |
|
| Royal Crablettes | Feb 9 2008, 08:21 AM Post #12 |
|
Get your Ribbons Off of Him!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
(( Dark’s feelings summed up: DAMN YOU, IRONY!)) Zyr had moved a bit nearer, now, having made his way closer to the edge of the battle so as to give himself more room, and so he was hear enough to near Karin’s complaints and the arguments. He did not look their way, as he was concentrating on the soldiers before him, but he did smile to himself for Jamie’s prudence. He was both pleased that Karin would avoid getting injured and happy that she would avoid having to deal with the entire battle and the full weight of many killings. After all, as had once been said, the innocent didn’t realize how difficult killing really was. True, she’d killed Draconis, but that was different. The garo was no stranger to death and killing, although he himself hadn’t directly participated in a war of human against human before. But one didn’t need to be in the midst of war to kill and grow used to killing. Zyr wasn’t a murderer by nature, though, and he preferred not to kill, when all was said and done. But all the same, he was no innocent, leading him to value the innocence of others. Suddenly, a small group of Lagarian soldiers managed to break away from and through the line of Hylians and headed for Jamie and Karin. Zyr, seeing this, reacted quickly, jumping back from the soldiers he currently fought and chanting spell words as he moved. He took a drop of blood from a cut on his arm and used it in the spellwork, as it was the fastest way. There was no time to worry about setting up symbols or anything. He would just have to trust to his own power and not worry about any framework, for the moment. And then, Zyr released his spell. Briefly, his eyes glowed more fiercely, as the magic activated, and he looked towards the soldiers approaching Karin and Jamie, smirking in satisfaction as they abruptly halted, held in place by a binding spell. Then, certain they’d remain still just long enough, he used a little more of his blood and called to a few of the nearby spirits, binding them to his will, temporarily, and sending them to possess the group of soldiers. This took a minute or perhaps two total, and by the end of it, Zyr had at his disposal, four puppet soldiers, which he turned away from Jamie and Karin and forced back into the battle, albeit against their fellows. The spells wouldn’t hold for long, as they were temporary measures, at best, but they lasted long enough for their purpose. Link, meanwhile, would have thought Dark was a bit drunk, if not for the fact that his movements were still as coordinated as ever and it was the middle of a battle. It just didn’t seem right to Link to hear Dark ramble so. Even more, Link hated what Dark had to say. He hated how it made him think and feel, and he hated the nausea that only /now/ began to emerge. If Dark would only shut up and just fight, instead of talk, then Link didn’t think he’d have quite the problem, but the fact that Dark went on and on, forcing Link to think about the killing and how Dark was more or less begging for Link to actually try to kill him, and the way he kept bringing up that alternate time… The Hero of Time swallowed thickly and thought instead about how pissed off Dark was making him. Except, perhaps that was Dark’s objective? If it was, Link was beginning to not care. Maybe if he fought all out, Dark would shut up, already…? “Why?” he demanded, as they fought on. “Why should I fight to kill you? Why are you always so eager to die by my hand?” After all, this wasn’t the first time Dark had tried to goad Link into attacking him. |
|
There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother. ~Astrid Alauda | |
![]() |
|
| Tiger Festival | Feb 9 2008, 09:00 AM Post #13 |
|
I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but you don't realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Karin was still arguing with Jamie, and when she saw the soldiers approach, she immediately began to form hand seals. It took her a moment to remember that she couldn’t use regular fire anymore, and so she was about to begin to channel Topher’s magick when Zyr worked his spell. Karin had to admit that it was very cool; she’d never done anything of the sort with her own necromancy, and she wasn’t sure if it was something she’d ever need to try, but nonetheless, it was cool. Carien, meanwhile, called over, “Too bad Karin isn’t smart enough to do that herself!” “Shut up, Carien!” Karin yelled, and then turned to Jamie. “Jamie~!” “No.” “Agh!” Dark, meanwhile, laughed quietly, blocking a strike and returning one of his own. “You misinterpret what I say,” Dark remarked. “It’s not that I want to die by your hand, it’s that you have to fight as if you want to kill, and I honestly believe you’d win that fight. There’s a difference. As for why you have to do it . . . Well, it’s for your own good. You have to grow used to the idea of killing anyway, if this war is to continue. Moreover, as far as my opinion on it . . . Well, I certainly don’t want to hurt Hyrule, and you’re about the only one who has the skill to at least keep me engaged in battle. Then again, Impa and Nabooru could, as well, but I don’t need to talk to them. I need to talk the one who looks a bit like the idea of murdering sentient beings is actually starting to eat away at his conscience. “I do want a fair fight, though, with no holds barred. I’m not weak. I don’t want to be treated as such. I don’t need you to hold anything back, and damn it, I don’t want you to! Honestly, Hero; I don’t want to die, much less by your hand, but I’m not afraid or wary of the fact, either. I’ve accepted that it can happen – that’s a likely possibility, given the situation we’re in, since I’ve no doubt Hyrule will come out on top in all of this – and I’m not about to start running from the consequences. “So, unless you don’t have the stomach to, fight me. I already told you, you need to leave your heart behind. After all, at this rate, I would be the victor of the fight. Not you. And I don’t think that either of us wants that.” Dark narrowed his eyes. “I don’t want to kill you, but I’m not going to pity you by holding back, either. So start actually trying, Link. I can tell that you’re holding back, and it’s starting to piss me off.” He didn’t say anything for a moment, as the fighting continued, and then he added, “If you don’t start getting used to the killing in the midst of battle, it could break you later. I’ve seen it happen. You don’t want it to hit you all at once, so at least attempt to start swallowing it now. Don’t worry. I won’t kill you while you’re dealing with it.” Dark rolled his eyes. “I don’t even want to kill you to begin with, so you needn’t worry about that.” |
|
How to Plot: Think of the worst thing you can do to a character, and then do it. Karin || Raisuke || Anko || Tobias || Ralm | |
![]() |
|
| Royal Crablettes | Feb 10 2008, 02:17 AM Post #14 |
|
Get your Ribbons Off of Him!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
“It has nothing to do with smarts,” snapped Bith at Carien. “Shut up and concentrate on your own fighting, jerkface!” Zyr, meanwhile, dealt with soldiers as they came, soon releasing the four he’d held in thrall, but not before he had them attacking each other. He was lucky the souls here were still freshly freed from their bodies and very confused and weak. If they’d been give even a day to strengthen and become more aware of themselves as ghosts, what he had just done would have been quite a good deal harder. “You’re the one trying to make me deal with it and get used to it all at once,” Link accused; true, it was a bit childish, but it was to some degree true, as if not for Dark, Link would still be fighting without thinking too deeply about what he was doing or why. None of it would have hit him hard until /after/ the battle. He shook his head. “To be perfectly honest, if it weren’t you, it would probably be easier,” he admitted a few moments later. “Because I haven’t killed anyone else quite so much as you. In dreams… in those nightmares we’ve kept getting thrust into, always… I fight you. And I usually kill you. And it’s like in the Water Temple, only worse, because now I know you, and you might as well be my brother, not my cousin. I just…you…” He trailed off, shuddering. In telling Dark that much, Link had already told him more than he’d ever told anyone – except Navi – about the worst of his dreams. (( Hm. The way for Dark to get Link to really fight is to point out to Link that if he doesn’t fight, Dark will probably kill him and others. For Dark to manipulate Link into thinking that if he doesn’t fight Dark to the death, then doom. Yeah. I’m not really articulate at the moment. XD )) |
|
There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother. ~Astrid Alauda | |
![]() |
|
| Tiger Festival | Feb 10 2008, 03:44 AM Post #15 |
|
I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but you don't realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
((Yeah, but Dark wouldn’t kill Link and the others, and he knows that Link knows that (or he thinks that Link knows that, at least). He’d knock them out, but he wouldn’t kill them. Now, other miscellaneous soldiers? Sure. Dark would have no problem at all with killing them, save that they might put up a fight. But Dark wouldn’t kill his friends and family; he’s already done that enough in his past, and it’s haunted him enough. He’s through with familicide. But awwww. Link is so sweet. X3 HOMIGAWD. This reminds me of that one pop song off the Pokemon: The First Movie soundtrack! "Brother, my brother, tell me what are we fighting for? We've got to end this war~! We should loooooove one anooooooother, ooh can't we just pretend this war never began? We should tryyyyyyy, brother my brother~!" Lol. xD)) No, Dark was trying to make Link think of it little by little during the battle, so that he’d have something to do while he thought about it instead of getting hit by it after the fact. If he realized that he was taking the lives of men who might have had small children at home, of newlyweds who’d never get to live out their married lives, of fathers and sons and brothers and uncles and goddesses-knew-what-else, while he was doing it, then it’d be easier for him to handle. But, Dark wasn’t going to argue that. “The problem, Hero, is that it is me. As I said before, our opinions and our feelings on the matter mean nothing. I’m bound by contract, you’re bound by duty. That puts us on opposite sides of the battlefield. Nightmares, illusions . . . You have to disregard them. While you’re here, all you can think about is fighting me as if I was any other unknown soldier. You have to kill, and you have to know that you’re killing, because no one but you can help you deal with it.” Dark paused, and then laughed. “After all, do you think it’s easy for me to fight you? Truth be told, though I absolutely loathed you when we first met, I actually do care for you as though you were my brother. Nonetheless, I’ll do what I have to. Even if I hate doing it.” He stopped fighting momentarily to take stock of the battlefield. The battle was almost over, and it looked as though it was split half and half. The Lagarian generals had survived, as had the main players for Hyrule’s side. To Dark’s pleasure, Karin had remained out of the fight (at least, he didn’t see her corpse anywhere, which was a good thing). Dark looked back to Link, his gaze hard. “This isn’t going to get easier,” he said. “Like I said before, it’s only going to get worse.” For a moment – a brief moment – his expression changed, and became more pained. “I can kill nameless soldiers. I’ve done it before. Lots of times before. But I don’t think that I could handle killing my family again. Or my friends. So . . . Before it comes to that . . . Learn to fight me, Link. For my own sake as well as yours.” Then, the raw emotion was gone again, replaced by his harder gaze. “Also, make sure Karin doesn’t get onto the field, again, until her wound has actually healed. I know that she isn’t healed completely yet, and if I hadn’t gotten to her first to take her out of this fight, she’d likely be dead. No one else on the Lagarian side would be as mindful of her injury. At least, not in a way that would be to her benefit.” “Dark!” Dark turned at the sound of Rov’s voice, and the general was waving him off. “Let’s go. We’re done here.” Dark didn’t answer him verbally, and instead rolled his eyes, glancing back at Link. “Rest up, Hero. This won’t be the last time we face each other, I’m sure.” He turned to start walking toward Lagaria’s generals, but he stopped, then, and reached into one of his pouches. After pulling something out, out he gazed at it for a moment before tossing it over his shoulder, at Link. “Keep that for me,” he called. “I have no use for it now.” The item thrown was the Sheikah Charm that he’d gotten from the Quisrol. Why he was giving it to Link was a mystery, but then again, much of what Dark did was mysterious; he never truly explained what went on in his mind, after all. Rov, meanwhile, turned to Valdis and said, “We’re going to re-group, right? We didn’t lose all of our men, and if we can just re-group then we should be able to get farther into Hyrule with a group that’s better equipped to take care of such an attack . . .” |
|
How to Plot: Think of the worst thing you can do to a character, and then do it. Karin || Raisuke || Anko || Tobias || Ralm | |
![]() |
|
| Royal Crablettes | Feb 10 2008, 04:32 AM Post #16 |
|
Get your Ribbons Off of Him!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
((True, but it’s still the easiest way to inspire Link to fight to his full potential. –nods- And I have an urge to watch that movie, now. x.o )) It wasn’t any easier for Link to mentally handle the realization of what he was doing on the battlefield or off of it. It was more a question of how he dealt with the resulting emotions. Channeling them into physical action was likely better than breaking down or throwing up or something of that nature, but any way was hard. And either way, it was difficult for Link to suppress the trembling shudders at the thought. To the first of what Dark said, Link simply shook his head. And to the second, he had no reply, either, save to nod concerning Karin. And lastly, to the third, Link caught the Sheikah Charm and looked down at it for a moment before gripping it tightly and looking up at Dark with an inscrutable expression. Then, abruptly, he moved off with the rest of the Hylians, gathering together, again, and watching the Lagarians with baleful eyes. Zyr, meanwhile, did not immediately retreat back with the others but remained near to the corpses, watching the ghosts with a sad, weary expression. He tilted his head a little to the side and seemed to be having some sort of internal debate. Valdis frowned. “Perhaps… Simply regrouping won’t be enough, I fear – for this is their home turf, and they are quite determined. Are the reinforcements at all nearby? We should call some them up as fast as possible to cover us as we strike again soon enough that the Hylians don’t have time to gather themselves fully. Or, at least that is my advice…” She scanned their troops, the distant Hylians and the dead left behind, lost in thought for a few moments. Then, abruptly, she glared at Dark. “You! You’re from Hyrule, and obviously you’re familiar with its inhabitants.” A strange, mirthless smirk curved her lips, as her hazel eyes narrowed. “Where is their weakest point? The point most easily exploited? And don’t give me any backtalk about not knowing or it not being your place to say. Give me your best, truthful estimate.” |
|
There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother. ~Astrid Alauda | |
![]() |
|
| Tiger Festival | Feb 10 2008, 05:12 AM Post #17 |
|
I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but you don't realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Karin was finally allowed to get her sword, and she re-sheathed it, glaring at Carien as he smirked at her. When she came near enough to him, she punched him in the shoulder, and he smacked her on the back of her head. Jamie, meanwhile, sighed, shaking her head at the pair of them. In her eyes, they acted like children. As everyone on Hyrule’s side regrouped, Anko glanced over her shoulder at Dark, and then turned back with an irritated sigh. “I can’t believe this,” she ground out. “I can’t believe him! How could he turn traitor like this?” “He’s not a traitor,” Karin argued, for she was close enough to hear what Anko said. “He’s over there, yeah, and he fought Link, but he’s not a traitor.” “The two things you just said sound pretty treacherous to me,” Anko rebuked, frowning. “I just can’t believe he’d do this . . .” “Yeah, but he didn’t kill me, and he could have – he easily could have! He had me disarmed and everything!” Karin crossed her arms, glaring flatly at Anko. “Can you really lose all faith in your friend that easily?” “It’s not like he’s done much to help us out, is it?” Anko bit out, glaring back just as solidly at Karin. “All he did was hinder our progress. Maybe he didn’t kill you because he doesn’t want to get his hands dirty.” “I doubt it. Dark’s a mercenary; I’m sure he’s killed before.” Karin shook her head. “Dark’s no traitor. He’s just . . . He’s just . . .” “Just what?” “I don’t know, okay? But I trust him. I trust him with my life.” Anko rolled her eyes, as though she had something more to say on the subject, but she refrained. Either way, all was not silent for long, for Amira – one of the Elite who’d stayed within Nila’s invisible barrier – spoke up, laughing. “Either way, I think it’s kinda unlucky that the King chose to Black Mark ‘im. C’mon, Highness, take it back! I could kill ‘im easily.” Amira looked over at Dark, and nodded. “Yep. I could probably get ‘im ‘fore he even knew it was happenin’, and it’d be no trouble at all.” “You won’t get the chance,” Karin hissed, glaring at her. Amira raised an eyebrow. “Who’s gonna stop me? You? Hah!” “If I have to, yeah!” “Enough!” Nabooru was also there, and her voice cut clear through the two arguing women. “Amira, I highly doubt the King is going to revoke the Black Mark anytime soon, and that means that if you touch the Sheikah, you’re up for treason. Ergo, keep those axes where they belong. Karin, I don’t have any power over you, but if you don’t want to get your ass kicked, then I suggest shutting that mouth of yours.” “Hmph.” Karin crossed her arms, but nonetheless glared at Amira out of the corner of her eyes. Amira, meanwhile, rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but the King is havin’ trouble, so he should just let someone else take care of it. And hey, we don’t have to do it with weapons – there are lots o’ other ways we can take care of the job!” Nabooru rolled her eyes, but otherwise ignored the bloodthirsty Elite, turning her attention to Impa and Link. “Well? What do you two think we should do? They won’t give up this easily, but we have other parts of Hyrule to think about. Obviously, protecting this border isn’t going to remain a very efficient way of keeping them out. They’ll find another way in if they have to, but we’ll just keep losing soldiers if we continue to press this border.” Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Dark sighed, and folded his arms. He really didn’t want to put up with Valdis’ interrogation, but he knew that if he didn’t, she’d never stop. “No. I’m a hired soldier, not a spy. Therefore, any information that I may or may not have really is none of your business. If you want a spy, go hire one; I’m not your man.” Rov could sense the impending argument, and he shook his head. “This isn’t the time or the place for this. Valdis, there are reinforcements nearby, but not near enough for us to strike again in time for it to be a truly effective counterstrike. I think that we should set up camp, and call them, and then strike again at dawn, when the Hylians are most likely to be sleeping. We can move throughout the night, at least, after a few hours of rest.” |
|
How to Plot: Think of the worst thing you can do to a character, and then do it. Karin || Raisuke || Anko || Tobias || Ralm | |
![]() |
|
| Royal Crablettes | Feb 10 2008, 08:22 PM Post #18 |
|
Get your Ribbons Off of Him!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
“I’m not asking for your opinion as a spy. I’m asking a soldier’s opinion on tactics based on previous experience.” Valdis folded her own arms and lifted an eyebrow at Dark, though she glanced to Rov and nodded her agreement to his suggestions. Zyr, meanwhile, still stood among the bodies, his eyes seemingly focused on nothing whatsoever, although in reality they were watching the ghosts. He listened to them, as well. Bith hovered nearby, having come back to his partner, now that the battle was over, but the fairy remained strangely silent and expectant. Absently, the garo wiped the blood off of his wakazahis and sheathed them. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, pushing his hood back so that his head was no longer completely shrouded in shadows. Link barely listened to the discussion among his friends concerning Dark and what to do next; his mind, instead, remained focused on what Dark had said. The Hero’d already wiped off his blade and sheathed it, but the Sheikah Charm remained gripped tightly in one first. Pari, on the other hand, had also been among the Elite there, and she gently cuffed Amira on the shoulder, rolling her eyes. “Hey, ‘Mira. Look, there are lots of dead bodies here. Weren’t you wanting to see one, earlier?” The easiest way to deal with Amira, after all, seemed to be to turn her attention to something she found /more/ interesting than the subject at hand. Impa was silent for a moment at Nabooru’s inquiry, pondering, while Link didn’t seem to have heard her, at all. After a few seconds of slience, however, Impa opened her mouth. “We cannot completely forsake the border, however, and allow them free entrance into Hyrule. However, it is true… there are other ways into Hyrule, although they are ways we’d prefer them not take, I think. Perhaps if we employ a calculated retreat to draw the Lagarians where we want them to go and then encircle and destroy them?” |
|
There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother. ~Astrid Alauda | |
![]() |
|
| Tiger Festival | Feb 10 2008, 09:12 PM Post #19 |
|
I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but you don't realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
“Regardless, I have no information for you,” Dark told Valdis flatly. “You’d be better off hiring a spy to scope out the weak parts of Hyrule, as I told you before, because you’ll get no information – opinion on tactics or otherwise – from me.” If it were a normal mission, Dark would have complied with giving whatever information he had on the opposing side. Since the opponent was Hyrule, though, Dark wasn’t about to give any information. He’d fight Hyrule’s forces because he had to, but he refused to act like a total traitor by exploiting their weaknesses. He was enough of a threat on the battlefield as it stood; he wasn’t about to make himself anymore dangerous than he had to be. Rov sighed. “That’s fine, Dark. No need to argue. Valdis, let’s go.” Rov then looked to the rest of the surviving soldiers, and called in the Lagarian language, “Move out! We’re going to regroup!” Damn straight there’s no need to argue, Dark thought with a small smirk. It’d be easier to get blood from a stone than get any information from me. Amira, meanwhile, glanced around at Pari’s suggestion, and grinned. “Hells yeah! But I dunno, I kinda already made all these dead bodies . . . But hey! What’re we gonna do with ‘em? Are we just gonna leave ‘em here?” Nabooru, meanwhile, nodded to Impa. “That sounds like a plan. For right now, though, I think we should discuss this with Zelda and the other Sages. We’ll want Darunia and Ruto to prepare the Gorons and the Zoras to defend the mountains and water ways, just in case. I don’t think the waters will be too much of a problem, but the mountains might, and in any case, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. We might not need to consult Saria, since the forest protects itself, but . . .” Nabooru shook her head. “That’s what I think we should do, at least. In any event, Zelda needs to be informed of this new development. It’s better that she knows sooner, rather than later.” Of course, Nabooru was referring to the fact that Zelda’s own cousin was fighting for the opposite side. Nabooru didn’t know Dark all that well, and personally, she didn’t care about who he was or what he may or may not be thinking. All she knew was that, for the moment, he was an enemy. She wouldn’t kill him because of the Black Mark, but if it came down to it and she had to fight him, she would only hold back enough to avoid taking his life. In her mind, an enemy was an enemy, and perhaps Ruto’s earlier words had held some validity after all. “Anyway, we should leave some soldiers near here just in case they strike again within a few hours. I can leave some of the girls, and I think it’d be best if some of the Sheikah stayed behind, as well. We can use more Hylian soldiers later,” Nabooru added as an after-thought. |
|
How to Plot: Think of the worst thing you can do to a character, and then do it. Karin || Raisuke || Anko || Tobias || Ralm | |
![]() |
|
| Royal Crablettes | Feb 10 2008, 10:44 PM Post #20 |
|
Get your Ribbons Off of Him!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Valdis gave Dark a final, piercing look before turning and following Rov, and so she caught the smirk. It only made her suspicious. Or, well, more suspicious, at any rate. Pari shrugged. “I suppose we’ll have to. There isn’t time to cremate them, now, and I don’t think we’re allowed to take them with us…” “I’ll stay here, and I can keep them hidden enough so as to disguise our numbers,” offered Nila, who was nearby. “It’s best that the Lagarians don’t know that a large group of our forces will have retreated, after all, right?” It was fortunate that no one had yet brought up how Ruto might very well have been right after all, as that likely would have caused Link to snap at whomever brought it up. But, since no one brought it up, Link had no such response. Impa nodded to Nabooru. “Very well. Let us set things up, then, and move to Zelda. Whom shall come with us?” Zyr opened his eyes and bent down, tracing a circle on the ground with blood from one of the cuts he’d sustained earlier. Here and there he added strange scripts and flourishes to the circle, elaborating on the design with strategically placed spirals and other circles. Once the design was completed, Zyr slowly rose, chanting softly in his native tongue. He stepped out of the circle, taking care not to tread upon the lines of his designs. Without breaking his concentration on the chanting, he used a small knife to cut one of his fingers. The garo bowed to the circle and extended one hand over it, palm downward, as he spoke the final word of the chant, as a drop of blood fell, landing in the direct center. The design and the ground beneath it rippled like water, and the circle flickered into a soft, greenish bluish white light. To the ears of the dead (as well as to any sensitive to the dead), the circle emitted a soft call – it was an ethereal sound, musical and yet it couldn’t be called music, and it exerted a gentle, relaxing pull on the deceased souls, calming their rage and soothing their agony. Above all, it called the souls closer and, when they moved into the circle, it moved them on to the hereafter, whatever way they were destined to go. Zyr remained next to the circle, eyes half-lidded as he pooled his energy into maintaining it and keeping its strength high enough to force the most resistant of the souls onward. He did not wish to leave any disquiet ghost to haunt the battlefield, after all, knowing the pain it put on the soul itself as well as the danger it could pose to others. At last, however, all the souls that wandered by their bodies were gone, sent onward, and Zyr released the spell, nearly collapsing as he staggered away from the now empty field. Sending Gates took entirely too much energy, in his opinion, but he supposed they were worth it. He was just happy there had been no exceptionally malignant souls to deal with and nothing demonic, either. Moreover, because the battle was so recent, it had been that much easier. At other times, in other places, the Garo had been at other battlefields and opened Sending Gates there and had much harder times of it. |
|
There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother. ~Astrid Alauda | |
![]() |
|
| Tiger Festival | Feb 10 2008, 11:50 PM Post #21 |
|
I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but you don't realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Rov glanced over to Valdis, and he sighed inwardly. His fellow general was mistrusting of most people upon first meeting them, and he could sense that Dark was no exception to the rule. Even so, while Rov generally liked the flow of battle enough to acquiesce to whatever Valdis said, this was one point that he would not move on. He knew that Dark’s actions that day weren’t the most comforting. He knew that it wasn’t in Lagaria’s best interest that Dark withhold information. But he also knew that he didn’t want Dark fighting for Hyrule, and the best way to prevent that (that wouldn’t involve the mercenary’s untimely demise) would be to keep him employed on Lagaria’s side. He just hoped that tensions wouldn’t rise too high. Nabooru, meanwhile, nodded to Nila. “Sounds good. As for who should go with us . . .” Nabooru looked at Link and gave him a long, hard look. As the Hero of Time, he was usually involved in meetings that concerned Sage business, for while he wasn’t a Sage himself, he tended to play a part in whatever the Sages had to discuss. This time, though, Nabooru wasn’t sure that his participation was really necessary, and she wasn’t too sure she wanted him and Ruto in the same room when Dark was discussed. “Just the two of us. Nila’s staying behind to cloak our forces, and no one else here is a Sage.” Nabooru hadn’t removed her gaze from Link, which gave her enough time to add, “We’ll keep you posted, Highness.” Nabooru then looked to Amira, Pari, and Anko, the three of whom were the Elite nearest her. “We’re going to need supplies if we’re going to set up camp. Figure it amongst yourselves who you want to go, but at least two Elite should remain here at all times, whereas at least one should be with the King. You all know the rule concerning him. I needn’t repeat myself.” Her gaze was steely enough to tell them what would happen if they did ask her to repeat the command. “There’s a hill near the river nearby. That-a-way.” Nabooru pointed to it, and then said, “That’s where I’d recommend setting up camp. The rest we’ll leave to you, since you’re competent adults, and should be able to figure it out for yourselves. Impa, let’s go.” Flipping her ponytail over her shoulder, Nabooru turned and started toward the shade. After all, though the Lagarians appeared as though they were gone, it wouldn’t do for them to see Impa and Nabooru warping right out in the open. Meanwhile, Karin had wandered over to Lak to speak with him, as he was sitting apart from the group, cleaning off his daggers to put them away. At first, she merely sat beside him, both of them quiet, yet then she spoke. “I’m . . . sorry you had to do that, Lak.” Lak was quiet for a minute before he replied. “I hate that I let you talk me into doing that,” he said at last. “I hate fighting. I hate killing. I hate war and bloodshed. I . . . I know it’s necessary, at times, but that doesn’t mean I like it. That doesn’t mean I like participating. And I hate that I let you talk me into it.” Karin winced at his words, but nonetheless wrapped her arms around him, giving him a hug. “I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I just . . .” “I know,” he interrupted. “You lacked confidence that you could really help, and you didn’t want Carien to fight alone. I know. It doesn’t mean that I like the result.” Karin released him from the hug, and then sat back down beside him, looking down at the grass. She was about to say something more when the strange song of Zyr’s ritual caught her ears, and she turned to watch him for a few moments. During this time, Topher climbed into her lap, as though he was trying to get away from the haunting melody himself. After a moment or two, though, Karin turned her attention back to the pacifist sitting beside her, regarding him with a frown. Lak hated fighting, but he wasn’t incapable, and because of that, he was often prodded and pushed into doing things that he didn’t really want to do. In this instance, he’d probably taken more lives than he ever had before, even though he’d held back and truly had tried not to kill anyone. It made Karin feel guilty, even more so because she knew that the only reason he had done it was because she’d practically begged him to. Lak was a competent and capable fighter, after all, and she really didn’t want Carien to end up fighting alone. Reaching up, she put a hand on his shoulder, whispering again, “Lak . . . I really, really am sorry.” “I know,” he said, simply. “I won’t hold it against you.” “But . . .” “What’s done is done. Those men are dead. They are never coming back. Their families will grieve, and move on, just as everyone does.” Lak turned his gaze to lock with her own, and then added, “I heard you and Carien talking. Do me a favor, and please don’t refer to this as a game again.” Karin winced. “But . . . But, it helps . . .” “No. It doesn’t help anything.” Lak stood up, and then offered his hand to her. “Now, let’s go rejoin the others, Karin.” Karin hesitated a moment, feeling thoroughly admonished, but nevertheless took his hand, holding Topher to her chest with her other arm. Once he’d helped her up, Lak turned and started back toward the group, and Karin followed after, until she caught sight of Zyr. Though she was still feeling rather chagrined and unhappy with the whole affair, she wandered over to him, feeling that Lak would rather spend time alone at the moment, anyway. “What did you do?” she asked him, once she was within earshot. “I mean, I know the ghosts are gone now, but . . .” While that was going on, Jamie had gone around to various surviving soldiers and whatnot, and had healed their wounds as best she could. Now, she was with Carien, fixing him up. For once, the male Westarian was silent, merely stroking Niasa as Jamie fixed up his injuries. After she healed one, though, Carien couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “Karin was angry with you,” he said, almost off-handedly. “She really wanted to fight. I think that you should have let her.” “No. She was too injured, and besides . . .” Jamie couldn’t help but frown as her ice blue eyes met his green gaze. “Carien, you two . . . You were treating the casualties as though they were part of a game, and that’s—” “Jamie,” Carien interrupted, his voice quiet, but firm. “With all due respect, please, shut up.” Jamie’s eyes widened at the blunt order, but before she could say anything, Carien continued. “Look. You know that I value your opinion, and all that. But – and no offense – you didn’t have to fight anyone today, so you really can’t say anything about that. Don’t you think I know that this is real? Trust me, when you’re in the middle of a fight like that, you can’t not know that it’s real. It’s easier, though, to think of them as merely being points won in a game, rather than . . .” Carien swallowed. “Well, rather than what they actually are.” “Carien . . .” Carien shook his head. “No, Jamie. When it comes to this, just shut up, because you really don’t know what you’re talking about.” Carien pushed himself to his feet, and then looked down to her. “Thanks for the healing.” Jamie frowned at him for a few seconds, worry evident in her gaze. She hadn’t thought about Carien and Karin’s talk of games and points in that way before, and even if it did help them cope, Jamie wasn’t so sure that it was healthy for either of them. “You’re welcome.” Nevertheless, she’d respect her friend, and she wouldn’t chastise him about his way of coping any longer. If that was how he had to deal with it, then it was how he had to deal with it; he was right, after all, in saying that she didn’t have to take lives. Maybe she simply didn’t understand. Back with the main group, Anko surveyed the group, watching as they re-grouped to see what they should do. Then, she looked to Link, and said, “Maybe we should be the ones to go get supplies? With maybe a few of the others . . . I mean, we should start off soon, so that we don’t waste too much time. You could always use the Ocarina to warp, since we don’t have horses . . .” She hesitated, and then trailed off. Link really didn’t look as though he was doing too well, in her opinion, but at the same time, she was Gerudo, and the Gerudo were nothing if not pragmatic. “Well, whatever we’re doin’, let’s do it! Maybe we can get another jump on those Lagarians, and show ‘em who’s boss!” Well, usually, at any rate. Anko heaved a sigh at Amira’s exuberance, but refrained from commenting on it. |
|
How to Plot: Think of the worst thing you can do to a character, and then do it. Karin || Raisuke || Anko || Tobias || Ralm | |
![]() |
|
| Royal Crablettes | Feb 11 2008, 12:42 AM Post #22 |
|
Get your Ribbons Off of Him!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Zyr glanced up at Karin as she approached, smiling tiredly as he saw her. “I sent them on using a Sending Gateway. It is… a duty of the Garo that after a battle, we do what we can to lay the souls left behind to rest. Many of the souls eventually would move on on their own, but… on a battlefield, almost all deaths are violent, and those who die violent deaths tend to be less likely to move on. Instead, they linger bitterly and grow in strength and hatred, and they lash out at whomever comes near. It’s safer and kinder on them to send them on…” He sighed and pushed his bangs and hair that had slipped loose of its confines from his face before looking to her, again. “… I’m glad that Dark took you out of the battle early,” he admitted. “I know you aren’t happy about it, but please consider staying out of the next battle, too. You’re still healing, and Jamie knows that, which is why she never wanted you going to begin with. You should trust her opinion, since she /is/ a healer and is well versed in the capabilities of a human body. Also… a battle… it’s…” Pausing, Zyr considered whether he really ought to go on. After a few moments, he decided not to. He didn’t want to describe to her the real horror of what a battle was like all the way through. As far as he could tell, she hadn’t knowingly killed anyone before Dark had taken her out of the fight, and that relieved him. He didn’t want to see what sort of mental pain she’d go through trying to deal with ending someone’s life and then hearing and seeing their ghost and its laments on top of that. “It’s not something you should be eager to participate in,” finished Zyr quietly and with a distant, pained look. “It’s… not as easy as you think…” Link felt Nabooru’s gaze and looked up briefly before looking away, uncomfortable with her scrutiny. He nodded once at her statement to him but still did not speak. “Right-o!” Nila nodded. “I’ll go ready the troops, while you four decide exactly what to do.” And she did just that. Link shook his head to Anko. “Farore’s Wind… it’s a bit far of a stretch for that spell from here to Kakariko, but it’s the only way to be sure of coming back exactly where we need without having to travel a lot. What’s the nearest temple to here, though?” “Water, I think,” answered Pari. “In that case, ocarina and Farore’s Wind,” sighed Link, tone dull. Pari blinked at Amira. “You’re coming with me to help set up camp, ‘Mira. You like physical work, so you can assist in setting up minor fortifications.” She turned her eyes ato Anko and Link. “Do you want me to make a list of what supplies we need from Kakariko?” “I can memorize it – it’ll save time,” volunteered Navi. “All right. In that case…” And Pari quickly listed off what to bring. “Got that?” “Yep.” The fairy nodded. “Good. Let’s get some of the stronger, uninjured people to go with you. It’ll be quicker that way.” And with that, Pari turned and, waiting only a few moments for the others to follow, started after Nila to where the majority of the troops lay. |
|
There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother. ~Astrid Alauda | |
![]() |
|
| Tiger Festival | Feb 11 2008, 01:14 AM Post #23 |
|
I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but you don't realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Karin listened to Zyr carefully, but by the end of what he had to say, she was frowning. “No,” she said, flatly, with the attitude of a person who certainly was not going to back down. “Jamie worries too much. I’m fine. I can fight, and I would have proven that if Dark hadn’t decided that he knew best. Besides . . .” She glanced back over at the main group, at Lak, and frowned. “If Lak can do it, then I can do it. He can’t use magick either, and what’s more, he hates violence. So, if he can summon the strength to do it, then I definitely can. I’m not going to let him do it alone.” She sighed, and then added, “Look, thanks for your concern, but I can make my own decisions. You’re not responsible for me, and neither is Jamie. I don’t need to be sheltered, or protected. I might have lost my magick, but I’m not fragile.” Losing her magick had had an effect on Karin beyond limiting her battle capabilities. For the first few days afterward, she’d been quite depressed, eating very little and hardly talking to anyone. Then, after a private talk with Ralm, she’d gotten a bit of her old self back, deciding that she had to move on, for what she’d lost wouldn’t come back, and letting the depression grip her wouldn’t change that. Even so, the loss of her magick had given her something of a complex, so now she felt as though she had to prove herself. Despite several others telling her this wasn’t the case, Karin either couldn’t or wouldn’t shake off the mindset, and it led her to doing things such as adamantly participating in battles. Even so, it didn’t help that others – such as Jamie – seemed to try and avoid the subject of her magick around her at all costs. The only one who hadn’t treated her so gently was Carien, who made a point of bringing it up whenever he got the chance, often in a way that sounded as if he was mocking her for the loss. The first time he’d done this, Karin had tackled him, and it’d taken Lak and Ralm to get them separated again. Even so, Carien continued to throw it in her face that she’d lost her magick, and when questioned about it, he merely said, “How’s she supposed to come to terms with it if everyone keeps quiet about it? She’s not dying, or anything, so stop trying to coddle her.” Still, Carien’s actions alone weren’t enough to make Karin come to grips with what had happened, and it made her a bit more of a risk-taker than she normally was (which truly was saying something). Anyone who tried to point this out, though, was snapped at, so that was one subject that even Carien tried to avoid. After she said her piece on the subject, though, Karin turned and started back toward the main group. She didn’t want to argue with Zyr over it, after all, and she’d already made up her mind. Her injury felt fine, and besides, hadn’t she lost her magick to heal it? She wasn’t going to let that sacrifice go to waste. At any rate, as she neared the group, she caught few bits of what they were saying, and her countenance brightened. “You’re going to Kakariko?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Sweet! I’ll go. I didn’t get to fight, so I’m not tired at all, or anything.” Anko nodded. “Three people should be enough, then. Unless, does anyone else want to go . . . ?” ((And . . . I’ll leave that open, in case any of your characters want to go. I figure they can get to Kakariko in the next post, and I’ll bring in Jex and Tarou once they get to Kakariko proper. As for the Sages . . . Well, I figure that we’ll give them a post, as well, to get everyone called before we start in with them.)) |
|
How to Plot: Think of the worst thing you can do to a character, and then do it. Karin || Raisuke || Anko || Tobias || Ralm | |
![]() |
|
| Royal Crablettes | Feb 11 2008, 02:11 AM Post #24 |
|
Get your Ribbons Off of Him!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Zyr shook his head, following after her, not wanting to let this drop just yet. “I never said you were, and I don’t think you are. You’re the only one who seems to think that, because you’re the only one who keeps saying that,” he informed her with a somewhat exasperated tone. “Forgive us for wanting to make sure you are fully healed before you throw yourself into things,” he added with a little sarcasm. It wasn’t the strong, dripping sarcasm that Dark or Link often employed, but a mild, subtle change of tone. “I’m /so/ sorry for wanting to spare you something /no one/ should have to participate in.” Regarding her magic, Zyr had never really tried to avoid the subject, after the initial beating around the bush before telling her what all had happened. However, he didn’t go out of his way to bring it up, either, as Carien did. And he certainly didn’t attempt to be insulting about it. It was just, right now, he was tired and a bit spent, leaving him rather more irritable than normal, even towards Karin. Perhaps his words had been a bit out of character, but he’d already had something of an argument with her before the battle, and he was only growing more annoyed with her stubborn insistence on wanting to fight and kill. In any event, now that he had said that, he loitered only long enough to hear where everyone was going before heading off with the rest of the fighters moving to set up camp and everything. He didn’t want to argue with her, either, but if he had to, he would, and she certainly had ample time to respond to him before he turned and headed off towards where Pari was organizing everyone for set up of camp and for who would remain behind as the ‘advanced guard,’ of sorts. For the record, if Karin had looked closely at Zyr during the part he’d uttered sarcastically, she would have seen the unhappiness and slight pain in his expression and eyes that caused him to employ that lovely thing known as sarcasm. In any event, Link stared at Karin for a moment, her bright, excited tone surprising him, as nothing seemed particularly bright or exciting at the moment. Then, he nodded to both she and Anko. Once both were ready, he said, dully, “I’m going to head over to the hill Nabooru spoke of to enact Farore’s Wind… Come with me, if you want to go to Kakariko.” And so he did. Once the spell was set up, he pulled out his Ocarina again and warped the trio (plus fairy and demon) to the Shadow Temple, from which entrance into Kakariko was made easy. |
|
There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother. ~Astrid Alauda | |
![]() |
|
| Tiger Festival | Feb 11 2008, 03:09 AM Post #25 |
|
I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but you don't realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Karin didn’t respond to Zyr, nor did she look at him. She was tempted to, at first, but then she forced herself not to pay him any mind, for she didn’t want to get in an argument with him. Neither of them would back down, and the fight would merely continue on in circles. She wasn’t going to concede, and Zyr couldn’t make her, so there was no point in arguing. Even if his “wanting to protect her” nature was beginning to grate on her nerves. At any rate, she pointedly ignored him, and left with Link and Anko. They managed to make it to Kakariko alright, and once they did, Karin took a deep breath of the non battle stained air, letting her argument with Zyr drift to a farther corner of her mind. Of course, she didn’t have to try and force herself to focus on something for long, because once they had gotten out into Kakariko proper, a strong, loud, and cheerful voice interrupted her attempts. “Hey, Tarou, check it out! That dude looks like Dark!” “Ah . . . Well, I suppose so. His hair and eyes are different, tho—” “Anyone could see that! But still, lookit ‘im! Like a carbon copy, only with the colors changed! Oh, and he’s wearing a goofy looking hat that I can’t see Dark ever wearing, but even so!” Karin and Anko turned at the sound of the voices to find two men standing nearby, their eyes locked directly on Link. This wasn’t too surprising, as – by their conversation – it was all-too easy to figure out who they were talking about. Still, Karin couldn’t help but wonder why they were talking about it so loudly, or how in the world they knew Dark. “Hey,” she called over, her curiosity piqued, “you know Dark?” So, of course, she’d ask. “What? Of course we know Dark! He’s our main man! He’s like our family!” The louder of the two spoke up. He looked her up and down, and then grinned broadly. “So, you know Dark? And what about you, pretty lady?” He turned his attention to Anko, who quirked a brow at being called a lady. “You know him too? Aww, man, Dark’s been holding out on me with the ladies! No fair!” “Jex . . .” The smaller one tried, but he went ignored. “And you! Dark’s double!” The one known as Jex pointed an accusing finger at Link, then, though his tone was still one that sounded as though it contained mirth behind the words. “You must know him too. Who are you? What are you doing here? And why are you surrounded by chicks? That’s normally Dark’s job.” “. . . I can’t see how you managed to interact with Dark and survive,” Anko stated after a moment or two. Jex put one hand over his heart, faking a hurt expression. “Yeowch! That hit me, right here. But of course I did! I told you, Dark and I are best buds. And Tarou too!” He reached down, clapping the smaller one – Tarou, apparently – on the shoulder, and Tarou winced at the action. “We’re like one big, happy family, dude!” “. . . Right.” Anko looked decidedly unimpressed. “So, I’m guessing you’re Jex, and he’s Tarou?” “Right-o!” Jex clapped his hands together, his eyes still taking in the three of them. “And who might you be, pretty lady?” “First off, I’m not a lady. Second off . . .” Anko trailed off, not sure if she should introduce herself or not. During this time, though, Karin had been studying Jex and Tarou, and she had already formed her opinions of them. Jex was tall – taller than Link or Dark, to be sure – and he looked rather well-built and muscular, though not overly so. A large, red hammer was strapped to his back, though it didn’t look as though it’d be very heavy or sturdy. His hair was black, and cropped short, almost in a militaristic style, and his eyes were dark brown. He wore a sleeveless tunic top, revealing his muscles on his arms. Despite his large frame, though, he seemed as though he took life as a joke, as though his life was nothing but one large game. It was slightly heartening, in some way; Jex seemed warm. Tarou, on the other hand, looked as though he was only a few inches taller than Raisuke, with a thin build. A long deck brush – of all things – was strapped to his back, and his hair was blond, falling to his shoulders, though it was tied back in a ponytail (save for the strands in the front, which were cut to fall to his chin). It looked soft – very soft, as though it was begging to be touched in some way – and his eyes were light gray. Tarou looked meek, somewhat, as though he got pushed around a lot, though there was also an odd strength in his eyes that – although it seemed hidden – displayed that he might not be one to trifle with. Either way, Karin decided that she liked both of them, so she went ahead with the introductions. “That’s Anko,” she said, “And I’m Karin. And this guy is Link, though he’s not Dark’s double – he’s his cousin.” “Really? Oh! I remember! Tarou, didn’t Dark say something about having some family in Hyrule?” “Two people – cousins, I think,” Tarou replied. “It sounds famil—” “How delightful!” Jex had bounded forward, seemingly with the intent of wrapping his arms around Link’s shoulders. Karin and Anko both jumped away, startled by his sudden action. “We get to meet some of dearest Dark’s family! Oh, where is my pal, anyway? I haven’t seen Dark in ages, and he must be around if he’s made new lady friends!” Jex glanced to Karin and Anko, and winked at them. “Though I promise, I’m much more likable than Dark, you can count on that.” “Uh . . . Right,” Anko said, still sounding nonplussed. Karin laughed. “Maybe . . . Though somehow, I don’t think you two are similar enough to be compared . . .” Tarou, meanwhile, merely sighed as the spectacle unfolded before him. *** Meanwhile, back at the camp, Carien had walked up to Zyr. He’d seen the brief spat between Zyr and Karin, after all, and he felt as though he ought to comment on it. After all, he needed something to distract him. “Trouble in paradise?” he asked, though he didn’t allow time for Zyr to answer that question. “Y’know, you really should just let her do what she wants. She’ll only resent you more if you try to protect her.” *** The Sages (for the most part) had finally assembled within the Chamber of Sages, for it was the easiest place to hold a meeting without being overheard. Among those present were Nabooru, Impa, Zelda, Ruto, and Darunia. Nila had remained behind with the soldiers near the border, and Saria didn’t need to be called, since the forest protected itself, for the most part. At any rate, Nabooru had wanted to get straight down to business as soon as they got there, and so she did. “The battle went mostly half and half. We lost a lot of warriors, but we did quite a bit of damage to the Lagarian side, as well. We caused them to retreat at least. But there’s a problem, and it takes place in the form of your cousin.” Her eyes locked on Zelda. “Dark has switched sides. He’s being employed by Lagaria to fight Hyrule.” Perhaps there was a softer, more subtle way to phrase things, but Nabooru was blunt, and so she put the truth right out there in the open. Ruto merely stared at Nabooru for a moment, but then her gaze hardened, and sparkled triumphantly. “I knew it,” she whispered. “I knew this would happen!” |
|
How to Plot: Think of the worst thing you can do to a character, and then do it. Karin || Raisuke || Anko || Tobias || Ralm | |
![]() |
|
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · S2 & S3 · Next Topic » |
| Theme: Zeta Original | Track Topic · E-mail Topic |
7:34 PM Jul 11
|
Hosted for free by ZetaBoards · Privacy Policy




![]](http://z1.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)



7:34 PM Jul 11