The First Gathering

The 6th Chapter of IW Season One. 
== I'm Up, I'm Up ==
Polaris/Early Morning/Day 1/Lake Hylia
How long had he been living in that damned cave? Obviously a lot longer than he'd realized, time had passed him by it seems. The entire landscape had become somewhat unfamiliar to him, yes this was Lake Hylia, but the drastic changes that had been made to it in his absence subtracted from the moment. Realizing this, Polaris did not linger long and, thinking of nothing but his stomachs longing to be less empty, he set out once again, this time in the direction of Hyrule Castle town. 
After an uneventful journey Polaris found himself entering the town which had an all too familiar buzz in the air. People were running to and fro, soldiers hustling about having orders barked at them left and right, preparing, apparently for something...from the looks of the commotion, it was a big something. There appeared to be quite a long line snaking around the square, and by chance, or was it fate? Polaris appeared to standing at the very end of said line. 
"Why'd ya come all the way down here for your conscription? Afraid we'll clean up the bastards right quick and all the fun'll be over before the fight reaches your doorstep?" Polaris shook himself from the daze he'd found himself in when the voice of the crude, and rather portly, man spoke. 
Intrigued and very much curious, Polaris opted to ignore the surge of annoyance that flushed over him every time the little fat man spoke. Pretending to have just noticed him. "Excuse me sir, but I've been abroad for quite some time now. If you wouldn't mind, would you care to explain what, exactly has everyone up and about."
By the time the man finished speaking Polaris was considerably closer to what he now knew to be one of many, many conscription stations set up throughout the lands of Hyrule. Sorely missing his foodless, friendless existence in his frozen cave on the mountainside, Polaris dropped his hood, stepped forward and stated name and rank. After a bit of spluttering and guffawing from the no-named peon that, up until a few minutes ago had been regaling himself as a "high ranking ambassador" from the proud Zora nation, Polaris was informed that he was to report to the Zora in charge of the tribal forces in the region, his tent was on the outskirts of town.
Allowing himself to be lead past countless gawking and slack jawed idiots who, hilariously to Polaris, were there, calling themselves warriors. The response was the same every time he passed, cloaks were pulled tight, and people noted the sudden chill in the air...
muttering to himself..."Ha, if they only knew..."
These things were always prevalent when he was in the presence of others. He was, at best an outcast among the Hylians, and a fallen hero among his own people. Which is why he left, if you consider moving to the mountains leaving. The Great Deku Tree had once told him, long ago that the power that he possessed, the power that was unlocked by his near death experience was extremely rare, and its origins could never be fully explained...it wasn't a curse or illness, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was impaled by ice arrows, for the result would've been the same, his bodies defense mechanism, the ice that literally flowed in his veins would've unleashed itself either way. He was gifted with this by the Goddesses at birth, and none but them would ever be able to explain why. The problem is, most only thought he was gifted when there was a battle to be fought.
Dwelling on the matter as he had almost daily wasn't going to change anything, so he chose to lock it away in the back of his mind for the time being. Besides, he was being ushered into the makeshift command post. The "commander" whom Polaris outranked stood with his back to him, so he was difficult to size up at first. He appeared to be young, younger than Polaris, of a medium build , slightly taller and heavy than Polaris as well. Which is why Polaris was taken aback when the man that turned to face him proved to be his own nephew. 
Offering his right hand in a mock greeting and with an air of hate and skepticism so thick that it appeared to gag him he said, "Surely the Goddesses themselves didn't send YOU back from...wherever failures and freaks go when they die, just to serve underme? You, Polaris, the mighty warrior whose name is echoed in recent tribe lore, the brilliant tactical commander...chicken shit who up and ran when his people needed him most. Oh, and snowman extraordinaire. Tell King Hyrule to pull back all troops, the battle is now won!"
Inhaling deeply and holding it in for a split second longer than normal and then slowly and deliberately exhaling so as to be sure that he chewed upon every word and chose each of them wisely before speaking. Because he wanted to be perfectly clear, and someone as dimwitted as his nephew needed small words. It was obvious that his temper had risen when he finally spoke.
"I've just returned from abroad, I intend to fight where I see fit, but I'll not fight under your command. Service under you is not an option, I'll defend Hyrule my own way. If you weren't my sisters bastard son, my temper would not be held so easily. Know this, there is still breath in your lungs only because of my love for her..."
Turning to leave. "One last thing, before you sound the alarm, think it over. How many able bodied soldiers would you like to see die over our squabble. Dieing because you yourself don't have the balls to do what you would be ordering them to do."
Polaris/Afternoon/Day 1/Zora encampment on the outskirts of Castle Town
In an unexpected stroke of intelligence, and much to Polaris' surprise, Kael chose not to raise any sort of alarm about his uncle storming out of his tent and away from the camp. Therefore Polaris was able to walk unencumbered, out of the camp and directly back into the city. Where, in due time, he found himself at the bar, in search of sustenance.
In a dark corner, with the hood of his cloak drawn to avoid any wandering eyes, Polaris enjoyed, or rather tolerated a meager dinner that consisted of a single, dry fish and and portion of soggy greens. He washed it all down with some rather cheap tasting mead. After having his fill he tossed some rupees on the table and set out, just as the sun was starting to set. Polaris was no stranger to traveling at night so he paid this no mind.
Upon reaching Hyrule Field he was struck with the sudden realization that really, he had no idea where he was going or what exactly he intended do when in fact, he arrived. After a considerable amount of deliberation (all while walking of course) he set his mind on a destination that his feet had apparently deciphered long before his brain. He needed to, at the very least, check in on the well being of his people, more importantly, he'd like to know about the family that he'd left behind. So with that in mind he continued on his course to Zora's Domain, a place where, up until a few days ago, he wasn't sure he'd ever see again.
== Suddenly, A Battle ==
Polaris/Early Evening/Day 2/Hyrule Field
To say that the scene Polaris had happened upon was odd, would be understating the peculiarity of it all. An entire battalion of Hylian soldiers at the mercy of two lone Sheikahs.
It was odd that the Sheikah would be fighting anyone from the kings army... Not being one to jump to conclusions Polaris stepped out from his hiding place and approached the two warriors, who at present, had. Man bound and kneeling before them.
"Now, don't confuse me with someone who gives a rats ass about what actually happens to this man. It's just that, I've been watching in silence for quite a bit now, and for the life of me, I can't figure out what the hell is going on. Aren't you guys on the same side?"
Kae Bryseis/Hylia Bridge/Evening/Day 2
Kae's eyes still held the luminescence of charged cosmic power. As the situation resolved, there was a slight wavering in her mind to execute the traitor or not...a sword formed in her hand of one of her shards; she raised it in an attack stance, and looked over at the curious bystander for a moment.
"We were, but then he decided to throw in his lot with the interlopers. For that, his death is warranted. I will make this quick."
The sword left her hand, floating for a short time before making a sudden slash at head-level. It became a shard once again and floated at Kae's shoulder level. It was a clean cut; the head slid right off and landed on the ground with a sickening thud.
"If anyone else gets the idea to betray the Crown, his fate will be yours."
She nodded at Lynn, but she felt disturbed somewhat. There was an inner pang of remorse that began to tug within her currently being quelled by the surges of magic being channeled. 
"You've awakened a monster, apprentice. Find your quiet place, or the rage and guilt will consume you."
"I apologize for any unnecessary damage. The situation called for a speedy resolution. My upbringing forbids unnecessary violence. While that may seem a bit improbable considering what you have seen here, you have my word as a Defender of the Crown that it is truth."
Kae curtsied to the Zora onlooker before turning back to Lynn. She then whispered in her ear.
"Screwed up, I did. Could use a smidgin of diplomatic assistance."
Summary: Kae sucked it up and decapitated the traitor deserving execution, even though a protest was raised. She attempted to justify it, but given the scene of the battle, the waste she laid to Hyrule Field and the Hylia Bridge strongly says otherwise. In an attempt to climb out of the diplomatic hole she's dug for her people by de facto, she turns to Lynn for advice.
Evening 2/Hyrule Field/Lynn Annei
For a brief moment Lynn scanned the Zora interloper, judging his threat to the situation and probably combat prowess. He seemed to be some form of trained military, by the stance he took and the way he moved. Whose military was a different matter entirely, but she was willing to assume a Zora would work for the Hylian Royalty, until proven long. Still, caution is the better part of valor, and Lynn assumed a wary stance in response to the new variable.
His words served to further her mistrust. "Now, don't confuse me with someone who gives a rats ass about what actually happens to this man. It's just that, I've been watching in silence for quite a bit now, and for the life of me, I can't figure out what the hell is going on. Aren't you guys on the same side?"
For quite a bit now, is it? Damn, I must have been too distracted by the fighting to notice. That's not good...
Kae spoke before Lynn could open her mouth. "We were, but then he decided to throw in his lot with the interlopers. For that, his death is warranted. I will make this quick."
Lynn nodded in approval of her new-found apprentice, for that was how she was coming to view Kae, and waited to see how the Zora would react. Kae's star shards floated about her, one forming into a pristine sword of eerie light. In one deft slice, the weapon struck forward, cleanly severing the man's head, spine and all. When the detached body part hit the ground, Lynn prodded it with her toe in mock curiosity.
"If anyone else gets the idea to betray the Crown, his fate will be yours." said Kae with a voice tinged with anger. She nodded at Lynn, putting on airs of self-assurance, but Lynn knew the feelings in her gut. The small remorse at taking your first life. The first is always hardest, of course. But there is reassurance there, as well. He got a traitor's fate. This death was better than he deserved, really.
"I apologize for any unnecessary damage." Kae continued to speak. "The situation called for a speedy resolution. My upbringing forbids unnecessary violence. While that may seem a bit improbable considering what you have seen here, you have my word as a Defender of the Crown that it is truth."
Kae curtsied to the Zora onlooker before turning back to Lynn, whispering in her ear. "Screwed up, I did. Could use a smidgin of diplomatic assistance."
Lynn shook her head, curt and brief, before speaking to the tattooed Zora.
"It is as my friend has said. We were en route to Lake Hylia, and then by way of the river to Zora's Domain, if need be. There was an attack on Castle Town last night, by a magic user. A wielder of pyrokinesis, by the reports. He was last seen traveling in this dierection.
Unfortunately, these fools decided that serving the Crown was not worth their lives, and thought it wise to attack us. We proved them wrong, of course. We are Sheikah, after all. His Majesty's Elite Soldiers. The situation is resolved with the death of their traitorous leader. Those who wish to return to life, and Hyrule's Service, are welcome. Though a report will be filed with Army Command, of course..."
She said this with a disproving glare across the ranks of soldiers who had laid down their weapons. None attempted to meet her eyes. Lynn did notice the one man who had started the counter-rebellion. The one who had attacked their now-dead leader first, and had risked his life to bring sense into the minds of his comrades.
"Kae, if you would? That man there, who had the spine to stand up for his country? Have a talk with him? We need good men like him.
"As for you," she said, returning her attention to the Zora, "what side are you on, I wonder? Zora means Hylian native, unless there is a colony elsewhere in the world? But these tattoos... I have never seen their like before. What are you doing up here on the bridge, instead of down below in the water where Zora belong?"
Polaris/Evening/Day 2/Hyrule Field
"As for you," she said, returning her attention to the Zora, "what side are you on, I wonder? Zora means Hylian native, unless there is a colony elsewhere in the world? But these tattoos... I have seen their like before. What are you doing up here on the bridge, instead of down below in the water where Zora belong?"
Watching as the peculiar yet obviously powerful magic user strode off, Polaris remained silent for a few moments.
"The tattoos...I'm sure you've seen similar ones, but these in particular, well we would have had to have crossed paths before...unless of course you attended my funeral." Pausing briefly to see if the woman would flinch...she remained expressionless. "As for why I'm not in the water? You only meet fish and Zora in the water, neither of which will be pleased to see me..." With a heavy sigh and an attemtp to hide the resentment in his voice, Polaris answered, what for him, was the most difficult of the questions. "With whom do I side you ask? I side with Hyrule, because she is my home, that does not mean I believe all of her inhabitants are worth protecting."
Evening 2/Hyrule Field (Bridge)/Lynn Annei
Lynn's hand never left the hilt of her weapon, ready for the strange Zora to make a bad move, which would be a fatal mistake. He did nothing but speak to her. His words were oddly emotional for someone with such an emotionless voice.
When he had finished speaking, she responded in turn. "If you defend Hyrule, then you have conscripted in the Army, yes? What business sends you to this outpost? We had not heard of any problems at the Bridge, I doubt any sources of your own could outmatch the King's.
"Are you a mercenary, then? Where is your troupe?"
Lynn kept half an eye on Kae, to be sure no problems befell the mage while she milled through the troops. Finally, though, curiosity got the better of her.
"I am sorry... funeral?"
Polaris/Evening 2/Hyrule Field (Bridge)
"I conscripted yes, but didn't stay after meeting with the current "Commander" of the Zora forces in Hyrule. It would appear that the military life is no longer for me. Once upon a time, at a time like this, you'd more than likely find me preparing to lead a force of Zora warriors into the thick of this battle as we speak, but that was long ago, I've been gone for far too long... I'm no mercenary either, more like a free lancer with Hyrules best interests in mind." 
Chuckling to himself. "As for my reason for coming to this bridge...I come here by way of Castle Town and would assume that my intentions here would be clear, it is a bridge, I intended to cross it, until I ran into you lot."
"You said you had seen these tattoos or some similar to my own somewhere before, so I assumed you knew they were funerary markings. Some families still believe in adorning their dead with tattoos that tell the goddesses of their life and family heritage, so as to attain better positions in the afterlife. My family is one of those, but my tattoos are unique in that, I am not dead and furthermore, even though they speak of the great deeds I've done. My tattoos also speak of great shame and failure. I embarassed my family and disgraced my name, which is why I now carry only a single name. It is also why it was such a disappointment to both myself and my people when it turned out I was alive. So I...I...left."
Fearing he had divulged too much, Polaris attempted to change the subject.
"I don't believe I've ever seen anyone fight the way your friend does. What sort of magic is that?"
Kae Bryseis/Hylia Bridge/Evening/Day 2
Stinging pain on her left side erupted a bit more thanks to arrows that grazed her arm and leg. Luckily, her ink patterns were not ruined, but the bleeding was unsightly. As she took Lynn's advice in talking to the survivors, she reached into her pack and pulled out some more of the pre-treated gauze, wrapping both wounds as she conversed.
Obviously, the soldiers were just as nervous as she was. They were both trying to kill one another minutes earlier; now they were speaking of truces and fortunes. Too many of them were intimidated by the traitor and feared being culled for "treason" if they deserted or fled to Castle Town. Traffic was also held up thanks to the idiots. Some asked what kind of magic she used, and others inquired about her well-being. A few others were thankful that some of the Sheikah did not discriminate when it came to enemies of the Crown. 
Kae kept an eye on Lynn and the Zora conversing as she did what she could to handle all the queries coming her way. She looked like a mystic; and with that came so many questions from minds that were not quite equipped to handle the answers. Of course, the tattoos, the eyes, those floating crystals, she had rote responses for how all of it worked. 
"I wouldn't wish these markings on anyone. They hurt like hell in the application, and any time I cast, they set off this uncomfortable tingling feeling that I can't ever get used to. Don't even get me started on how it makes my eyes feel."
"Then why use it if it's such a toll on the body?"
Kae smirked and replied, "Because the pacts I made soften the stress on the body. Channeling cosmic power is serious business. It takes years to even get the basics down, and even then, those spells can backfire if one becomes complacent."
"You know, damaging our infrastructure was a horrible idea. It's going to take a while to get it rebuilt!"
She shrugged and lowered her head.
"I'm sorry about that! It was either let them keep pelting arrows at us or stop the threat quickly. In war, people tend to make decisions they normally would not. This was one of those. The King may not appreciate it, but now Hylia Bridge is clear for use again. There are ways to keep it defended, we will make do."
"Easy for you to say, witch."
Kae narrowed her eyes at her critics and tried to calm her nerves.
"You are all lucky to be alive. I could have destroyed the entire bridge if need be. Please be thankful for what you do have! You are all good soldiers, and your work is not yet done. Listen to what I have heard through the faint whispers of beyond."
She closed her eyes and focused her thoughts to the cosmic patterns of fate related to Hylia Bridge and the Lake.
"This is not the final conflict of the Bridge. Others will seek entitlements here, others will meet their end. Heart's Blood must not be spilled without sin meriting lest this link to the water be destroyed."
Some were disturbed and others were glad to hear at least that no more bad news awaited them other than the usual. This bridge was to be a focal point for other conflicts. Too much relied on it. Some wanted it standing and others wanted it gone. Innocent blood spilled on the bridge would lead to its doom, or so Kae said. 
Things were looking alright between her companion and the tattooed Zora, yet the fortune consultations continued. Some of the soldiers were also letting their eyes wander...Kae did not notice most of these, but she blushed when she did.
Polaris/Hyrule Field (Bridge)/Evening 2
Deciding to drop the subject of her friend for now, Polaris decided that, even though all that he had told her were things she would be able to learn from anyone who was around during that time, things she possibly already knew herself.
"The events and underlying circumstances surrounding my departure from the Zoras domain and Hyrule are a little more complex than you might imagine. It isn't a matter of merely regaining honor...As of right now, I don't care to divulge anymore than I already have. Maybe another time."
The Sheikah seemed wary of Polaris, and rightfully so, but she still acted like she wanted to believe him. Momentarily he debated giving more insight on his background, telling that in all senses of the word, he was more exile than runaway. Or that for several months following his defeat he spilled gallons upon gallons of his enemies blood. Countless foes were felled by his hands. And yet, when all the fighting ceased, and the war ended he was a stranger, not only in this land, but in his own home. He had no choice but to leave. He chose not to share this.
"If you truly are a devout follower of the king and servant to the crown, you may well know my name. Depending upon how long you've been in active service, you very easily could have served alongside me at one point in time. My name is Polaris, former commander of all the Zora forces in this very region."
Kae Bryseis/Hylia Bridge/Evening/Day 2
"I hate to be a bother, but I must keep moving. Remember what I said, and don't let anything like this happen wherever you may be stationed."
Kae made her way through the crowd and answered one final question about the interlopers.
"The only way they're going to understand that we mean business is to be as unyielding as them. They want us dead. What purpose would diplomacy serve? The only talks I want with them are of their surrender and summary judgment. I have no sympathy for enemies of the Crown."
A few of them backed away as she said this, and let her file out. They had a fairly good idea of what she meant by the last part. Two smoldering towers and many scorched bodies served as a testament to it. The thing that scared Kae was that she wasn't normally this ruthless or rigid. Something just clicked inside her as soon as she realized it was time to fight, and she hoped that at the end she could go back to being the cheery, bright, and relaxed mystic. 
The world you knew is gone. Cherish it as a memory; the new world will be more different than you know. Find your quiet place and deal with your demons, or they will deal with you. Do not become as your brother has, consumed with hatred and vengeance. A time and a place exist for all of those. Exuding the feelings you are espousing will breed further contempt. Find a middle ground, apprentice. When it is over, I pray you come out blameless.
Nora must have had trouble sleeping. But her tone was a lot less autocratic than it had been in the past. Kae was maturing quickly; almost too fast. And with it being so forced, much repair would be merited soon. She was showing signs of losing it as she walked back to the conversation between Lynn and the Zora.
Funerary inks...seeking redemption...you are not it...
Whispers from beyond filled her head upon the sight of him. She didn't know what to make of it.
Taking a glance behind her, Kae saw the soldiers clearing dead from the battle and putting the smoldering fires out in towers and such. 
It WAS your fault.
More whispers. The source was unfamiliar this time, and she didn't like how it made her feel. It caused her tattoos to glow and eyes to flicker with the eerie purple-white light she'd put out before, and the pain in her body to intensify once more. It appeared as though she looked ill.
Kae realized what it was: She over-exerted herself again, and the energies were taking what Kae owed them. Since it was evening and it was under the moon's cover, the toll would be far less. Doing her best to hide the pain, she gritted her teeth and tried to take her mind elsewhere until the backlash had run its course. 
It burned, itched, throbbed, triggered momentary headaches, and a good bit of coughing. She was embarrassed, and rightly so. Her eyes stopped glowing by the time she made it back to the conversation, but had a noticeable eyebrow twitch and bleeding nose.
Evening 2/Hyrule Field (Bridge)/Lynn Annei
Lynn quirked her eyebrow, assuming a look of disbelief. "You? The Polaris. I do not believe that. In the slightest.
"You look more a worn out old man than a warrior and general."
Unfortunately for Lynn, she did not have the chance to see if her words would rile an aggressive response from the so-called 'general'. At that moment, Kae re-entered the conversation, only looking much worse than she had when she left it. Her expression was contorted into a grimace, one she was trying hard but futilely to hide, and her nose bled. Lynn's weapons were freed of their sheaths in an instant.
"Did they attack you? I will kill the little bastards!" Lynn began to advance on the toiling soldiers.
"No, Lynn. They're fine. It's just a backlash from my magic."
Lynn's grip on the hilts of her swords did not weaken. She glared at the milling crowd. "You are not covering for them, are you?"
Kae just rolled her eyes at her suspicious mentor. "I said it's fine."
Begrudgingly did Lynn sheathe her blades once more and return her attention to thee self-proclaimed Zora General.
"I would also say something along the line of "But you are supposed to be dead", but that seems rather repetitious and obvious by now." After a brief pause, debating with herself, she added, "You may not have seen any flame magi recently, perhaps, have you?"
Polaris/Hyrule Field (Bridge)/Evening 2
The brash young Sheikahs attempt to anger Polaris may have got a rise out of him, had her friend not returned in an obvious state of distress, which set her off like a powder keg. She was obviously very protective of the magic user, and right now she was seething, her anger threatening to boil. Ultimately, the arcanist was able to calm her. 
Ever calculating, and always sizing up any potential opponent or ally, he noticed the almost maternal protectiveness the Sheikah he'd been speaking with had for the magic user, and wondered if it would become a weakness in battle, how it could be used to his advantage, and hoped that he wouldn't have to try. He was yet unsure as to what his role in this battle for Hyrule was, but he did know, that whatever it was, allies were always beneficial. 
"I would also say something along the line of "But you are supposed to be dead", but that seems rather repetitious and obvious by now." After a brief pause, debating with herself, she added, "You may not have seen any flame magi recently, perhaps, have you?"
A fire mage?! Polaris knew of a few, but for the most part only by rumour and legend, he'd never crossed any of their paths. Yet his interest was piqued...if these women were looking for the fire magi, he'd have to prove he was who he said he was in order to gain their trust and...hopefully travel with them.
"Aww, that isn't even my favorite question! I was hoping you'd ask me to," and with a bit more show than he'd normally use, he shot a jet of water from his palm into the still smoldering tower. "Show you a trick with water," now, focusing on a dead body that lay a few feet away, he froze it solid, not letting up until it burst into thousands of tiny pieces. "or ice."
Taking a few steps closer, "No. I've seen no Fire magi. Is he, or she, the source of the attack on Castle Town."
Evening 2/Hyrule Field (Bridge)/Lynn Annei
Lynn twitched a bit when the Zora moved, ready to lash out if he moved to attack her or Kae. But he did no such thing, and instead summoned forth a magical gush of water from his palm, extinguishing the fire of one of the towers that the soldiers had been battling for a few minutes already. His other hand twisted with significance, and she followed his gaze to watch a corpse freeze over and then shatter in cold ice. She shivered a little, but caught herself before too much of the physical response could be seen visibly. Mind mattered here, the strategy and her duty, nothing else. Not even feelings.
"Fancy tricks... They do happen to match the description of Polaris we were given by the Zoras after his 'resurrection'. I did not believe it when the reports were handed out for study, but I suppose I have no choice now.
"Pardon me a moment, and we'll continue the fire-user discussion in a bit?"
She hoped onto a larger piece of the rubble Kae had created and addressed the warriors.
"Soldiers of Hyrule! You chose well to return to service and re-devote your lives to honorable cause! The man who stood up to that bastard 'captain' of yours will lead you until Hyrule Command can take control of the situation again."
Sh pointed to the one person she actually felt proud of in the group of sheep.
"Message has been sent already. Expect something within the next two days. If you desert this post, again, the Sheikah will find you and kill you. I will personally travel to the four corners of this world to exterminate you. And if that doesn't sake my vengeance, I will hunt down your families, as well.
"Do not betray His Majesty again."
And with a final, steeled, dangerous glare over her audience, she leapt from the rubble and rejoined the two magi. She spoke again to Polaris.
"As for your question... Yes, we have reports of a fire magus terrorizing Castle Town, and are currently hunting him. Any assistance you can provide in the matter would be welcome. I am certain your command of ice and water would serve to counter the powers of... whoever this man may be. But know one thing: I was placed in charge of the operation. You are no longer a general, if you ever were; you will answer to my command in this matter so long as you decide to travel with us. But you are also free to leave our little adventuring party whenever you see fit."
Lynn reached out her hand as a sign of truce and offer of companionship. A small part inside her wondered if his skin would feel chilled against her palm...
Polaris/Hyrule Field (Bridge)/Evening 2
After silently nodding his approval at what was said to the traitorous soldiers, Polaris responded to the Sheikah.
"A hunt, for a fire user? And me...being what I am? How convenient. I have no problems taking orders, as long as they're within reason. I'll join the two of you. Lead the way."
Wondering whether she would pull back from the handshake once she was locked in his icy embrace. Polaris took her hand in acceptance of the perceived offer of companionship.
"If we're going to be traveling together, I think it'd be easier if I knew your names."
Kae Bryseis/Hylia Bridge/Evening/Day 2
The arcanist reached out her hand, still looking a good bit disheveled.
"My name is Kae. I'm a fortune teller in training. It is quite good to meet you, sir Zora."
He will help turn the tide for this land...do not betray his trust.
The wispy voices from beyond filled her mind briefly. He also had magical ability, and it had considerable potency. She didn't quite hear all of the conversation between he and Lynn, but his control of ice did intrigue her too.
"Your casting...book trained, like me? Or bestowed? Or something else? I don't mean to be nosy, I just haven't met other magic users outside of my paradigm..."
== Spirit Warrior, Meet Habiki ==
Darrel Mytura - Dusk of the Second - Overlooking Zora's River
"I asked you not to come back here." he said sternly as he watched Telmar rifle around through his closet.
"I told you, the plenipotentiary came to me." Darrel rolled his eyes.
"Voice came to me too, day before last. He wanted me to interject in this business with the Interlopers. He said new warriors are beginning to rise, ones of light, dark, good, evil, chaos, and order alike." he replied as Telmar finally emerged from his closet clutching clothes that did not belong to the perennial light warrior. "What are your clothes doing in my closet?"
Isaac threw on the undertunic, button down overshirt, and sleeveless long coat and flashed Darrel an amused grin.
"I needed to keep spares somewhere."
"And you thought my house was as good a place as any?" Darrel asked, to which Isaac shrugged. "Despite the fact that I told you I'd kill you the next time I laid eyes on you?"
"We've been over this, I didn't kill her."
"No, but it's your fault she's dead. I know you better than you think, Telmar. You didn't do the deed, but you led them to her and sat back while they tore her apart." he said, his jaw muscles flexing as his anger over the betrayal rose anew in him. "I married an angel, Telmar. I married an angel and you took her from me."
"If you really believed that, one of us would already be dead."
"The only reason you're not dead is because Eyes and Voice told me that you couldn't be killed." he shot back hotly. How badly he wanted to throw forth his hand and strike him down with a beam of energy so powerful not even ashes would remain. "Yet."
"Well thank the Goddesses for them then, yeah?"
"As if you give a damn about the Goddesses."
"Fair enough. I ran into another old light warrior tonight too. Looks as though we're not the only remnants that are still lingering."
"I don't care. Get out of my house before I rethink the plenipotentiary's advice." Darrel said through gritted teeth. How long had he lived in peace only to have it disrupted on this night by the man he hated most.
"I'm already gone. You may want to rethink your watch but don't intervene stance on this war. These Interlopers wield some real power, and it looks like the Hylians intend to fight back. With the power of the Sages if they have to."
Day 2/Zora River/Habiki and Raki/Sunset
They had been rowing for some time now, at a snail’s pace. They’d have been at the end of the river hours ago, except Raki had unfortunately shown Habiki how to use the oars, and he’d taken to it all to well. 
“Habiki, stop paddling, wait, no, the other side! Left…no, you’re other left!”
They were drifting in circles, the river’s current the only thing giving them any sense of direction. Raki acted exasperated, but in truth he was having the time of his life. He was seeing this river, as he had seen it a thousand times before, and yet, he had never seen it like this. He took everything in, knowing it could be a while before he came back. And in his chest, his heart beat with the excitement of the adventures that would await him.
“Come on, give me the oar…hey, give it to me, we’ll never get there like this.” He giggled despite himself. “You know, I got you up the river in less than an hour. We’ve been at this all day!”
“Huh---Huh---Huh” Habiki said, in what was clearly an attempt at a laugh.
Raki kept a close eye on him, making sure he didn’t lean over the sides of the boat too much or do anything that would capsize them, even as he delighted in Habiki’s unconventional rowing style, sending them slowly spinning, like a rusted merry-go-round. Thanks to Habiki’s inability to navigate the boat, they had barely traveled at all.
They passed through several tunnels, and eventually came out into a pasture, open spaces on each side of the water. Overlooking the river was a small hut that Raki had seen many times, and always been curious about, but never actually ventured near. As usual, he intended to simply paddle past it, but Habiki wouldn’t have it. He dropped the oar in the water absentmindedly as he stared, clearly interested in the cottage. Raki snatched the oar quickly back out of the water before it drifted downstream.
He gave Habiki a stern look. “We can’t! We have things to do, besides just visiting with strangers.”
Habiki continued to stare off at the hut. Raki, intrigued himself, quickly relented.
“Well, I guess, in the spirit of adventure…and besides, if he has food, it will keep us from digging into our food stores.”
Before he’d even finished speaking, he was paddling towards shore. After tying the boat off to a small rock, they walked right up to the front door, and Raki knocked.
Darrel Mytura - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Dusk
A visitor? Perhaps Voice had come back to plead with him to intercede in Hyrule's burgeoning troubles. Perhaps the Hylians themselves had at last come to forcibly conscript him into their misguided war effort. 
Once Telmar had departed he'd gone into the mahogany chest that housed all that remained of his wife's possessions. A single white feather from her glorious wings, the gown she'd worn at their wedding, and a number of other trinkets she'd collected before and during their time together. He'd sworn himself to his solitude after she was killed, so angry was he. No longer would he put his life at risk to help a people that would sit idly by as villains and cutthroats tore apart such a radiant life.
When he opened the door he found himself faced with two peculiar looking individuals. His expression never changed, he'd seen enough peculiar people in his years.
"What, pray tell, can I do for you gentlemen?"
Habiki and Raki - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Dusk
The man didn’t seem nearly as surprised as Raki had expected, at the sight of the patchwork man of several clays that stood on his doorstep.
“What, pray tell, can I do for you gentlemen?" he said politely.
Raki glanced up at Habiki, and noticed that he refused to look at the man or even make eye contact. Habiki was staring off at the ground somewhere to his left, uncomfortable at the sight of people.
Raki quickly looked back at the stranger “You’ll have to excuse my friend here, he’s a little slow–er-shy. Anyways, not to impose on you sir, but we were passing through on our way to Castle Town, and we didn’t exactly make good time today,” he said, stifling a laugh. 
“We were wondering if you could give us shelter for the night...or at least a place to rest for a few hours before we head back out.” he said this timidly, as if afraid the man would slam the door in their face. 
“We have fish, if you’re hungry,”
Darrel Mytura - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Dusk
"I'm sorry but I prefer my solitude. You two will have to find some place else to sleep tonight." he said, rather more rudely than he once would have.
So many times had Hyrule fallen into terrible danger, only to use he and his past companions as a crutch upon which to lean. Threat after threat, battle after battle. So much destruction, so much pain, so much death, and what did they have to show for it? They were overwhelmed and under appreciated when they came to fight off the darkness, they were the victims of accusatory glares and pointed fingers when they didn't. He was the first to admit that he'd become bitter at the thought.
Still, of all the unusual beings he'd encountered when fighting the good fight he'd never seen a patchwork person formed out of what appeared to be bits of clay. While the sight didn't startle or surprise him, he was moderately intrigued.
"I'm sorry, but just what the hell are you?"
Habiki and Raki - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Dusk
"I'm sorry but I prefer my solitude. You two will have to find some place else to sleep tonight." 
Raki had gotten exactly the reaction he had expected. He could tell from the moment the man had opened the door that he was bitter.
"I'm sorry, but just what the hell are you?" he asked rather tactlessly.
This enraged Raki. He began to clench his hands into fists, but then realized that anger was probably not the best course of action right now. He relaxed, flashed the man a rather insincere smile, and tried not to show his anger.
"You know, I don't even think he knows," he said casually. "And neither do I. Apparently, his body is black clay, like the Stone Puppets that the Twili use...but he has his own will, and strange light powers I've never seen."
Raki deliberated over how much to tell this bitter old man. Finally, seeing something in the man's eyes, he decided that he would tell him everything he knew, which admittedly wasn't much. He looked around furtively, as if making sure noone else was there to hear.
"I don't know the specifics of it, but Madam Loa and I believe him to have some kind of communion with Lanayru. We saw him emerge from the spring, but we are sure that no one had walked in. He keeps telling us to take him to Faron...I think he has some sort of mission there."
The man seemed unconvinced, and Raki thought he might regret what he was about to do, but he opened his pack and began rummaging through his things, and pulled out the bottle of Lanayru's Light.
"This was a gift from Lanayru himself," he said, suddenly growing firm in his voice. "Now, I'm not exactly sure what he wants, but it's sure as hell more important than your damn ego...only the fate of a country at war. You like your solitude? Fine, we'll camp outside. We don't need shelter, we were just hoping for some hospitality, is all."
He turned and slammed the door behind him. He looked up at Habiki.
"Come on, Habiki, let's go, he's not going to help us,"
He started down the steps to leave, Habiki turning to follow.
Habiki and Raki - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Dusk 
Raki stormed down the steps of the young hermit’s hut, fuming. Habiki turned to follow, but did not. The last bits of sunlight were beginning to fade.
“Come on Habiki, if we’re going to make camp we had better get going.”
Habiki just stood there, staring at him.
“Habiki, come on!”
Habiki’s eyes seemed to be glazing over. He stepped towards Raki, but tripped down the porch steps and landed painfully on his stomach.
“Habiki!” Raki ran towards him and grabbed him by the arm, helping him up.
Habiki struggled to his feet, and looked down at his companion.
“Not feel good,” he said. In the twilight of dusk, Raki suddenly saw veins of light pulse through Habiki’s body, the luminance clearly struggling to shine through thick layers of clay. As soon as they had surged forth, they began to dim, brightest near his abdomen, slowly receding away from his limbs to his core.
Raki looked up at the sun, which was finally dieing behind the nearby cliffs. The moment it was gone, Habiki again collapsed to his knees, and the pulsing veins of light vanished in an instant.
“Night frai-ten,” said the man of earth.
Suddenly Raki understood. Habiki was very weak, and the light of the sun was the only thing keeping him alive. He was now at the mercy of the night, his strength fading along with the day, and in an instant of panic his inner light had struggled desperately to escape, to derive some tiny bit of sustenence from the sun, but failed.
Raki watched in horror as the replacement limbs they had given Habiki all seemed to decay. The new right arm, his new fingers, the left side of his face, all seemed to be eroding away with the wind, cracking, dry, barely holding together, bits of dust flaking away from them.
The man of earth and light looked up at his Zora companion. “Who you?” he said.
He shoved Raki away with both arms and got to his feet, stumbling in circles as if drunk, acting less and less like a man and more like a caged animal.
“AAAAH! RAAAGH! NAAAAR!” He was screaming and growling, his arms flailing and scratching at the air as if he thought he was being attacked.
Finally, he completely gave out, falling into unconsciousness.
Habiki was in the void, the darkness of his dreams, frightened and alone. He couldn’t see anything around him, he couldn’t even see himself as he had last time. He felt nothing, saw nothing, except for the incoherent thoughts flailing about in his own mind, which seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time. He had no body, only meaningless words floating about in nothingness.
[hr]
[color=blue]“Help! Please, HEEEELP!”[/color] Raki screamed at the hut nearby, almost willing the door to open. [color=blue]“PLEASE!”[/color]
Raki put his hands below Habiki’s ribs, and began pushing on his stomach several times in rapid succession, in an attempt to resuscitate him.
[color=blue]“Come on, come [i]on[/i]!”[/color] He said as he shoved forcefully against Habiki’s ribs.
Habiki gasped, then began to vomit. He turned his head to the side, throwing up more than Raki would have believed could fit in his stomach. Finally, amid the muck, the Light Heart lay there, by Habiki’s side. Habiki’s eyes seemed to catch the object for a moment, before he gasped painfully, his eyes rolled up into his head, and he was still.
Raki checked his pulse…there was none. The magic was gone, his body now truly just a clay sculpture.
[color=blue]“Oh god, no, no!”[/color] Raki stared at the glowing sphere. It seemed to be light encased in a solid transparent shell, but it was clearly not made of glass. A strange glow emitted from the entire thing, spinning about as if the core of a planet. It looked not at all dissimilar to illustrations of the hearts of Light Spirits. The only difference being that the light from this sphere seemed sickly, patchy, as if it had bald spots. It was pulsing madly, as if shrieking in pain, barely clinging to existence.
He thought for a moment that he would put it back, that Habiki would wake up the moment it was placed in his stomach. But he realized, the orb was looking desperately for light, and if it was made to be swallowed back into Habiki's body, it would give out completely...and Habiki would be gone.
He needed light, somehow.
[color=blue]“HEELP!”[/color] he screamed at the cabin once more.
Darrel Mytura - Second Dusk - Home Overlooking Zora's River
Darrel had been content to let they who would intrude upon his private brooding and solitude leave in anger, but the sudden cries for help seemed to stir in him a powerful response. It was something he hadn't felt in some time, but the need for help, for salvation even, had always elicited a need to help. Perhaps it was true what they said about light warriors, that they all had a hero complex that was ultimately their downfall.
He rushed out the front door, leaving his chain mail and surcoat hanging on their hooks. He didn't think he'd have need of them, an if it turned out that they or another meant him harm he was capable of defending himself without them.
Some distance away the clay man lay on the ground looking rather worse for wear. Something had transpired that Darrel could not fathom, but he could see that the creature needed help or he would die.
An Interloper creation would die, was that really any business of his? They were, after all, invading Hyrule. They meant to conquer it. Did he really have any business helping some magically designed abomination gain a new lease on life?
Still, these two didn't seem to be trouble. Furthermore he had to remind himself that despite how long he'd lived and how many wars he'd fought, if he wanted to think of himself as a light warrior... if he had ever been one at all, he had to help save lives where he had the ability. 
The sun was setting, it was becoming difficult to see with each passing moment. He made up his mind, he was going to have to try and help. And for that he was going to need to be able to see properly. And so he held out his left hand and reached down into himself. The power that had always been there roared to the surface, igniting around his outstretched hand in a dazzling aura of orange and gold spirit energy that illuminated the area.
"What happened to him?"
Habiki and Raki - Home Overlooking Zora's River – Beginning of Second Night 
Finally the door burst open, and the young hermit stood in the doorway, heeding the call to action.
“Oh thank Din!” said Raki, about to collapse himself from the stress of it all. “Quick, I need something that emits ligh-“
Suddenly the hermit burst into a blaze of fiery orange light and spirit energy, like refined flame.
“…Uh, I guess you have that covered,” Raki managed to say, completely dumbfounded. It seemed a strange coincidence that the hermit happened to have the one power that would prove most useful to saving Habiki.
The hermit, still aglow, ran over to where Raki was kneeling.
"What happened to him?" said the blazing hermit.
“I think it’s the night that caused this,” said Raki. “Habiki’s power seems to come from light, and he’s been on the verge of collapse for days. I think he gave out because the sun went down, and he had nothing left to sustain him.” He picked up the orb in his hand, its light like a flickering candle, weak, inconsistent. “I’m pretty sure this is his life-force, all things considered,” he said as he reached out his hand to give the orb to the hermit. “He needs light. Please, can you give him that? That’s all he needs, and then we promise we’ll leave you in peace.”
Darrel Mytura - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
As the sun dipped below the trees he considered everything about the situation. He didn't know who or what this clay creature really was, whether he was a dangerous magical creation of the Interlopers, or whether he really had the communion with the light spirit Lanayru that his friend suspected. Ultimately he knew that the light spirits were powerful beings and if they truly had chosen this creature as an instrument then the least he could do was keep it alive.
"Hold on, I have something brighter. This is only going to take a minute." And so Darrel coalesced the spirit energy into an orb no larger than his fist and tossed it into the air over the clay man, where it hovered to provide what light it could. "Light magic would be preferable, but we'll have to work with what we have. I know what we need."
He turned and ran back up to his front door, throwing it open at a dead sprint as he crossed the threshold. Sparks of energy flashed out to light the lamps that dotted the inside of the cabin.
Inside a trunk tucked under his sofa was what he was looking for. It looked like nothing more than an ordinary blade in its scabbard with his sunburst symbol in gold on the pommel. Quickly he hauled it out and ran back out into the darkening night, the spirit magic he'd left to sustain the creature was already blinking out of existence.
"This is Morning's Edge, now hold up that orb." he told the man, who complied. Darrel quickly drew the sword out and felt the spirit magic in himself join with the spirit magic that the blade possessed. The union brought about such a brilliant orange/gold glow from the blade that it hurt his eyes, which were already beginning to adjust to the growing dark. Quickly he swung the blade down and touched it to the orb that the clay creature's companion held out to him, and all of the light that he could muster flooded into it.
Habiki and Raki - Home Overlooking Zora's River – Beginning of Second Night 
Habiki’s mind floated through the darkness, hearing strange whispers, echoes, embers of forgotten memory that still clung for life from years past. They seemed disjointed, unrelated, all trying to have their say at once.
“He’s just a boy at heart, we can’t forget that, Yel.” 
“After all these years, are you really suggesting we call it quits, after so much progress, because of a minor setback?”
“You’ve really done it this time, you know that?”
“My god, I’m a genius,”
“Don’t say such things in front of him, Ten!”
“I think we should cut our losses.”
“That’s all it is, collateral damage.”
“I’m afraid the only cruel thing is allowing this to continue.”
“How can you act as if you’re the only one who gives a damn? I’ve poured 16 years of my life into this!”
Habiki couldn’t discern the meaning of any of it. 
Suddenly, through the void, there was an intense burst of orange light.
The voices grew loud again as the light grew brighter, and soon seemed to be screaming at the top of their lungs, all the disjointed pieces falling into place, a larger picture forming in his mind as these embers coalesced into a greater flame. He saw five men standing over him, under an intense lamp, as he lay on a white table.
“That’s good, open your eyes, Habiki.” His father was among them, and all of them seemed to be smiling. He knew these faces, somehow, somewhen.
In an instant, memories began to flood his mind, the 5 years he had spent living in caves after being left to die in the wilderness by his creators, the men who were supposedly his protectors. All those years in the dark, not seeing the sun, getting ever weaker. He only had a moment to feel betrayed before the orange light gave way to another vision.
He saw strange people in the forest. A small tree-like creature running around on its roots, carrying word to two opposing armies. Then a forest man in green clothes attacking soldiers with bladed vines. And he saw this forest man traveling with a hooded warrior and a young medic, the three of them walking away from a small plant-puppet. And he knew that finding any one of these people would get him closer to the Deku Tree, to his goal.
“[color=blue]Come on, come [i]ON[/i]![/color]” Raki struggled to hold the orb as the blade of Spirit Energy crashed down onto it. The waves of spirit energy were sending a shockwave through his whole body, and he struggled to dig his feet into the ground to keep his tiny frame from being blown away.
Suddenly, there was a brilliant flash from the orb, blinding Raki, and he fell backwards onto his backside. When the light cleared, he looked down on the orb, which lay on the floor, no longer flickering or sickly looking, but still not exceptionally bright…it wasn’t strong, but it would survive.
He scooped it up in his hands, and placed it in Habiki’s mouth, instantly becoming animated enough that he could tip Habiki’s head back so he could swallow it.
Habiki’s eyelids flickered, and Raki smiled.
“[color=blue]That’s good, open your eyes…Habiki.[/color]”
Habiki smiled up at him.
“[color=blue]How do you feel?[/color]”
“[color=darkred]……better.[/color]” He looked over at Darrel, who seemed a little shaken at suddenly being brought back to action. “[color=darkred]Habiki answer magic man’s questions now.[/color]”
[b]Darrel Mytura - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night[/b]
The three of them went inside and Darrel provided them with seats at his table. He would have offered them food but he'd already eaten dinner, which he'd made for himself alone, not intending to have company. He remembered of course that they'd already had food, so he instead offered them each a mug of Hylian ale.
[color=orangered]"I don't have a lot of questions for you... Habiki you said it was?"[/color] when the clay man nodded he continued. [color=orangered]"I would like to know more about what your friend mentioned. Something about communion with the spirit Lanayru? And what exactly you are, if you don't mind. [i]Were[/i] you created by the Interlopers?"[/color]
Habiki and Raki - Home Overlooking Zora's River – Second Night
Darrel led the two inside, handing each of them a mug of ale.
Raki eyed the beverage suspiciously, but Habiki took it gladly.
"I don't have a lot of questions for you... Habiki you said it was?" Habiki nodded. "I would like to know more about what your friend mentioned. Something about communion with the spirit Lanayru? And what exactly you are, if you don't mind. Were you created by the Interlopers?"
Habiki sipped his ale, wincing as he did so. To Darrel, it probably appeared that he had an ulcer.
“No, Twili make Ha-“
“I’m not supposed to have this,” Darrel and Habiki looked at Raki, for his rude interruption. “It’s just, my parents would be mad, they said I can’t have ale until I’m older.” they were both staring at him. “…oh! Sorry, go on.” he blushed a vivid shade of green.
Habiki looked back at Darrel, and began again. “Twili make Habiki.” He seemed far clearer since Darrel had infused him with the light. He was obviously still a bit muddled, not understanding that interlopers were Twili, but at least he could communicate better than before.
He rubbed his temples, focusing to try to find the right words. “Twili magic men make Habiki. Some earth magic men, one light magic man…Light Mage”
“A Twili Light Mage?” said Raki.
“Not many left, most Twili magic dark now.” he continued. “Make me like stone puppet, they use puppet for war or farm, made from clay. But I different, I not puppet, gave me heart of Light. They make my body much better than just clay, years to make my insides right. But they leave Habiki. Habiki live in caves for some years, sleep much.”
He was rubbing his temples again, struggling to explain himself. “Water…cave…light…snake god.” He looked up at them again, finding his voice. “Lanayru. He tell me to find Great Deku Tree, in Faron, give him great light, help to protect people from war…Habiki not know why must help to end war, Habiki not hurt, Habiki not in war, but Habiki do what water god want.”
Habiki smiled. “Now you…you answer Habiki questions. Who you? Why you make orange light?”
Darrel Mytura - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
Interesting. So he was created by the Interlopers, or the Twili as he insisted on calling them. And yet he claimed they'd abandoned him, left him to live in caves until he'd been found by the light spirt Lanayru. What Lanayru wanted with a bastardized creature built by their invaders he had no idea, but clearly he had some sort of purpose. Or was he just trying to trick him?
No, that couldn't be it. The creature, Habiki, didn't seem to have the mental capacities to pull of that kind of elaborate deception. His friend seemed little more than a wet nosed kid who was in over his head. All in all he had to assume that they were telling him at least partial truth.
"I'm a spirit mage, I'm in tune with the energies not only within myself but those around me as well. It's an ancient element in Hyrule and a very powerful one, if a little unorthadox." he replied, taking a long swig of his ale when he finished. "The Deku Tree is it? Fair enough, I'll tell you what I'll do. If you want you can sleep on the floor here tonight, inside out of the cold, and tomorrow morning we'll all head out. Ordona and Faron are dangerous places these days, what with the Interlo... ahh, Twili invasion."
Habiki and Raki- Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
Raki listened as the two men explained themselves to eachother. When Darrel began to talk about Spirit energies, he tried to focus, but he was still processing what Habiki had said about the Deku Tree, about the light, and most of all, that a Twili LIGHT Mage had created him. He had never realized that there could be such a thing, since most people associated all Twili with Shadow. And he was also amused at the clay man's inability to comprehend what an Interloper was.
He shifted his attention to better hear Darrel.
"I'm a spirit mage, I'm in tune with the energies not only within myself but those around me as well. It's an ancient element in Hyrule and a very powerful one, if a little unorthadox." he gulped down his ale, then continued. "The Deku Tree is it? Fair enough, I'll tell you what I'll do. If you want you can sleep on the floor here tonight, inside out of the cold, and tomorrow morning we'll all head out. Ordona and Faron are dangerous places these days, what with the Interlo... ahh, Twili invasion."
"A spirit mage? Cool! Good to know we have an ally." Raki smiled. "I'm Raki. Anyways, before we head to the woods, is it alright if we made a stop down in Castle Town first? There's an earth mage there that we need to see, to get Habiki proper medical treatment. He's okay for now, but we don't know how long before he gives out again. Plus, it would be a good chance to stock up on supplies."
Darrel Mytura - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
"Ahhh I typically avoid the more... metropolitan areas of Hyrule. It's a very long story but if I'm going to go up against the Interlopers and their shadow magicks to get you two to the Deku Tree then I'm going to have to have my sword and my armor, and those things might be recognized in Castle Town." There was no way that he was going to suffer people's harrassment again. No matter how long it had been since he'd donned his sword and his surcoat, there were stories of the Sword of the Sunrise that were still told to children as they were laid down to sleep. After all the time that had passed he was shocked at how accurate the decriptions could be.
"I have an idea. You two are going to go into Castle Town by yourself. I won't enter the city with you but I will wait for you at the bridge, you two should be safe enough inside those walls. You can go to your earth mage and buy whatever supplies you deem necessary, I can pick us up some horses in the meantime."
== Fist First__FORCETOC__ ==
Early Night 2/Hyrule Field Bridge/Lynn Annei
Lynn shivered at the feel of the Zora's icy hands, and caught herself too late to prevent the look of contentment crossing over her face while they shook hands. She mentally berated herself for showing such weakness, but still allowed the conceit of a small, coquettish smile to flash toward the Zora before Kae spoke to answer him.
"My name is Kae. I'm a fortune teller in training. It is quite good to meet you, sir Zora. Your casting... book trained, like me? Or bestowed? Or something else? I don't mean to be nosy, I just haven't met other magic users outside of my paradigm..."
Before Polaris could answer, Lynn also proffered the requested information.
"And I am Lynn. You two can talk while we are moving, we really should continue. This whole fiasco has cost us precious time."
And so she led the group away from the bridge and down river, heading toward the Zora's Domain to question their people about the Fire Magus. Her mind wandered, thinking about the Zora's ice magic and his cold skin, occasionally causing her to glance at him and then quickly avert her gaze when she noticed what she was doing. It was very awkward for her, and she hoped that she was doing an adequate job hiding such feelings from her followers. They were talking, but she didn't really pay attention to what it was they were saying. A bunch of magical terminology, she assumed. Nothing of interest to her.
But then a spark of light caught the corner of her eye. It had a strange orange hue, not quite like a fire, slightly off. She caught the attention of her compatriots with a hand signal, motioning for them to be quiet. She pointed down to the small hut from which the light had emanated. There were obviously figures moving there. Two, perhaps three. She informed the two others with her fingers of the supposed amount. They were entering the hut now.
She gestured for her followers to stay put while she scouted ahead, and moved closer to the hut. Silence became her as she blended with the night, progressing with calculated precision through the space between her two friends and the unknown quantities. With time she reached the hut, and peered, cautiously, through one of the windows. A Hylian man, a Zora child and a Twili golem resided withing, drinking around a table. Conspirators! Fraternizing with the enemy! No doubt the Twili mage who controlled the golem was somewhere else, out of sight. Lynn started her way back toward Kae and Polaris.
In hushed tones she spoke when she reached them. "Hylian and Zora child. Consorting with the enemy. Twili mage and a golem. They may be part of what happened at the bridge. New priority, we need to investigate. Move out now."
Darrel Mytura - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
"If you two will excuse me for a moment, I'm going to bring more wood in for the fire." Darrel announced, pushing himself out of his seat and picking Morning's Edge up off of the table. He was going to have to split a couple logs to get pieces of the appropriate size, and now axe was a match for his blade.
As he stepped out into the cool night air he felt something of a chill run up his spine. His eyes ran over every image around him, nothing appeared out of place, and yet somehow the scene felt wrong. His fist tightened around the hilt of his blade as he stood in the doorway, Habiki and Raki at his back, the door frame to his sides. Any attack would have to come from the front.
"Who goes there?" he called out in a raised voice that fell short of a shout. Even as he stood and looked out into the suddenly menacing dark he channeled waves of spirit energies through his body, into his extremities. Had the Interlopers found their missing creation? Did they want him back? Was it the Hylians? Had they tracked him down, come to conscript him, or were they after the clay man?
Whoever it was, they wouldn't catch him unawares.
Raki and Habiki- Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
Raki stared at Darrel from behind. He had said he was going out for firewood, when suddenly he had tensed up just outside the house. His hand tightened up on the hilt of his blade.
"Who goes there?" said the spirit mage.
Raki stood up to follow him.
"Mister Darrel sir, what is it?" he said, walking towards the door. He froze where he stood, suddenly becoming aware of a presence, movement in the shadows.
"I have a bad feeling about this," he said, stepping cautiously back into the house, trying not to make any sudden moves...whoever they were, they probably weren't friendly. He began to desperately shut the curtains on all the window, leaving only the front door open, careful not to pass in front of its view. He was looking desperately for a place to hide.
The closet, the bed, all too obvious places. Finally he found a large hope chest near the bed, and opened it. It was filled with strange memorabilia, such as a small white feather. This would do for him, but as for Habiki...
He turned back to his clay companion. "Hide, now!"
But Habiki wasn't listening. He was too curious about the disturbance. He ran towards the open door, tripping over the pack that Raki had left on the floor.
"S***!" cried Raki, quickly ditching ceremony and burying himself under the trinkets in the chest, reaching a single hand out from the rubble and grabbing the lid to slam it shut. He cursed himself for not rushing to help his friend.
Habiki dusted himself off, grabbed the pack and headed again for the door.
He stole down the steps and came up slowly by Darrel's side.
"What happen, orange-man?" he whispered.
Polaris/ Early Night 2/ Hyrule Field (Bridge)
The Sheikah who identified herself as Lynn, seemed to falter ever so slightly when they shook hands, it was only briefly and she quickly corrected herself. Though she seemed to have softened towards Polaris for the time being, he was sure she was just trying to be nice and would transform back to her normal no non-sense personality soon. 
Turning to accept Kae's handshake and falling in behind Lynn,"I am pleased to make the acquaintence of two such accomplished warriors."
It was sometime before Polaris spoke again, he was trying to decide how to properly respond to Kae... After a time, "I appologize for delaying my response to your query, you'll have to forgive me, but I fear that is a question I cannot fully answer. Not for lack of want, oh no, I'd love to tell you that I learned my magicks in some aged and sacred writ, but alas I did not. Of the options you presented, I would say that it is a combination of bestowed and something else. I do not know how much you know of my story nor how much of the conversation Lynn and I had earlier, so I'lls start with this and if need be, I'll elaborate further."
Glancing ahead to Lynn, he could've sworn she was staring at him...suppose not. "Anyway, if you didn't catch my name, I am Polaris, I was once a general and suffered a horrible defeat. It was there, on deaths doorstep that my, for lack of a better term,"abilities" were unlocked. I've scoured all of Hyrule and, to this point, none, not even the current or former Great Deku Tree could tell me the origin of my power, all that I've learned is that I've had them since birth and was unaware.."
Lynn suddenly stopped and threw up a hand to silence the conversation, and, to be honest Polaris was a little embarrassed that he hadn't even noticed whatever it was that had given Lynn cause for alarm. There was movement and a fading light off in the distance where Lynn had gestured that there were 2, maybe 3 unknown and presumably hostile people. As Lynn crept off, Kae and Polaris took cover.
It was sometime before she returned, and when she did she was all business again, "Hylian and Zora child. Consorting with the enemy. Twili mage and a Golem. They may be part of what happened at the bridge. New priority, we need to investigate. Move out now."
Judging from the rushed, yet robotic tone to her voice Polaris thought he had a pretty good idea of what "investigate" meant. Two questions were racing through his mind, how and why. How did a Twili mage come to get this deep into our territory, this close to Zora's domain and why the Hylian and young Zora aiding the magician and his puppet?
Questions Polaris intended to have answers for soon enough. There was an all too familiar feeling, an urge coming over him. A chill breeze swept into the river valley as they closed in their prey.
Kae Bryseis/Lake Hylia/Evening/Day 2
Kae was completely tapped out of cosmic power. Though she was quite intrigued at what she saw, she was unable to divine the rotes and effects used. There were basic elements she understood, though. The Source of her abilities decided to stop tapping her life force a short while earlier, and thus the pain subsided. 
Her eyebrows raised when Polaris properly introduced himself, and his story really made her think. She also felt for his plight after realizing what exactly his tattoos meant. How he got his power made a little more sense as well...
"The will to live, apprentice. Some have it, and some do not. Take notice of him, fate has marked him."
"With how you are inked...that is indeed intriguing. I am sorry for what has happened to you; traumatic awareness of magical ability often proves catastrophic, but fate has its hand upon you, and an impressive one at that. I'm honored to meet you as well, and will have a lot of questions about tactics in non-magical kinetic situations, among other things. But I do wonder, what is down here that bothers Lynn so?"
"If you were to use any more power tonight, you could kill yourself. I will lend you my strength just this once. But when I tell you to stop, you had better, or you will kill me. Watch your back!"
When Lynn motioned, Kae and the Zora took cover. She heard what Lynn had said about interloper Mage, golem, and more. She was hoping that the bloodshed would stop for a bit so she could rest, eat, relax. But no rest for the weary in war, as Kae would soon find out. Kae felt something link to her being as she felt energy return to her. It was a sizable amount; she could get enough for a short skirmish without much drawback, especially if she conserved and kept it to melee and self-fortification.
Not all is as it seems...think before you call upon our power...She loves you...
She felt a strong magical presence. One she was horribly afraid of ever sensing. Light. Diminished by nightfall, but still enough to unsettle her. Nothing from a "twili mage." Interlopers collaborating with Hylians? Silver tongues? Temptations? She wanted to wait and let it play out before anything happened, but she knew Lynn better than that. Lynn wouldn't ask questions. She'd just go. Kae was learning not to hold back or hesitate when it came to making difficult decisions. Just to be safe, she conjured two Shards under her cloak. One would sentry and another would be a sword if it came to blows. If a Shard runs out of power while guarding, it simply gets dismissed, and thus Kae does not have to worry about an explosion.
Kae whispered to Polaris from cover, "I hope there's a simple solution to this."
Night 2/Darrel's Hut/Lynn Annei
Lynn froze when the elder man stopped and scanned the area surrounding the hut. There was a knowledgeable air to him. They had been spotted, somehow. To their credit, her two cohorts stopped moving, as well. She thought, hoped, perhaps he was just being jumpy, consorting with the enemy as he was. This hope was shattered and her fears confirmed when he called out to the surrounding area.
"Who goes there?"
Lynn cursed under her breath, while holding it, and waited. Neither Polaris nor Kae responded. Good, at least they're not idiots.
She unsheathed her swords, painfully slow so as to not attract attention. Times like this proved perfect for the matte-black finish she had had applied to the blades of her weapons to kill the sheen of metal. Even in the moonlight, they didn't reflect a mote of light. Carefully she gestured Polaris forward, non-verbally telling him to flank to the left of the hut. She then repeated the gesture to direct Kae to flank right. Finally, she made her own way from the front.
She got closer and saw the Twili golem had come out to stand beside the Hylian man. Perhaps he is the things master, and this whole situation is much worse than I had feared.
She stood when she was thirty feet away from the pair and revealed herself.
"I am Lynn Annei, of the Sheikah Royal Guard. Praytell, instead, why you stand so brazenly with an Interloper abomination such as this? Where is the Twili scum with whom you consort? Hand him over, and perhaps I may be lenient and allow your death be swift. But Nayru help your soul if you are the thing's master."
Polaris/ Night 2/ Darrels Hut
"I hope there's a simple solution to this."
Wanting to continue his conversation with Kae, but knowing it would have to wait, Polaris nodded as he snuck off through the grass in the direction Lynn had pointed him. Instictively, almost without thought, a sword, made entirely of ice took shape in Polaris' right hand.
"I am Lynn Annei, of the Sheikah Royal Guard. Praytell, instead, why you stand so brazenly with an interloper abomination such as this? Where is the twili scum with whom you consort? Hand him over, and perhaps I may be lenient and allow your death be swift. But Nayru help your soul if you are the things master."
Even while Lynn made her presence known, Polaris crept ever closer, until he finally he stopped, about 15 feet from the hut, he could go no closer without risking being spotted.
There was no sign of the magician who commanded the Golem and also none of the Zora child, this troubled Polaris, because he therefore had to assume that they were either hiding inside the hut, or that they had snuck out the back and were doing exactly the same as he and Kae. With that in mind, he scanned the clearing that surrounded the hut, looking for any sign of motion, all the while awaiting a response from the Hylian man. 
Darrel Mytura - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
"Bold are you to come upon my home in the night and make threats to me, Sheikah." Something was amiss, he could feel it. He sensed spiritual energies from more than just she, there had to be cohorts. And they were close. His grip tightened on the hilt of Morning's Edge. "These Interlopers have nothing to do with me."
This infantile Sheikah thought Habiki was one of the Twili stone puppets, which technically he was. Darrel wondered for a moment why he cared about the creature, but he had to believe that he'd been told the truth. No matter what Habiki was, Raki seemed a pleasant and honest young Zora. He would believe him.
The more he focused, the more he began to pinpoint the directions from which the additional spirit energies flowed. One was very close, too close. Without looking, Darrel shifted his stance ever so slightly. He could see a Zora in his peripheral vision now, with a blade in hand. So they meant to attack, and in greater numbers. Darrel silently filled with anger at their cowardice.
"You are the interlopers tonight." he said, shifting Morning's Edge to his left hand and throwing his right toward the Zora. A sizzling jet of energy expelled from his outstretched palm. If they would use tactics without honor, then he would fight them in the same manner and they would pay.
Polaris/ Darrels Hut/ Night 2
With mere seconds to spare, all Polaris could do was attempt to spin out of harms way and toss up an impromptu wall of between himself and the Hylian.
The crackling bolt of energy smahed into and through his makeshift barrier without remorse and then slammed into Polaris' left shoulder, causing him to stagger several steps backward, he dare not think of what devastation it would have wrought had it struck him unencumbered.
Regaining his composure quickly Polaris shouted, hoping his companions would listen, "Lynn, Kae, do not attack so long as the numbers remain even. It has been sometime since my last fight, I intend to enjoy this."
Before the many shards of Polaris' decimated protective shield touched the ground, he redirected the majority of them with his left hand and sent them whizzing toward his aggressor.
Darrel Mytura - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
Shards of ice were hurled at him by the tattooed Zora that had put himself forward. Darrel had to act quickly, rapidly firing off thick bursts of energy into the advancing wall. The defense was serviceable enough, melting a great deal of the ice shards in the center, but several shards sliced shallow cuts across his upper shoulders. They stung but he'd suffered far worse over the years. He began to channel the energy around him into his muscles in preparation for his next move.
"You have some modicum of honor at least, even if your comrades have none." He said, shifting his sword into his right hand. He and the Zora eyed one another for a moment, taking stock of their adversaries. "But I promise you, you'll not enjoy this."
And with that Darrel hurled himself forward with all of the speed that he could muster. Little more than a blur, he fell upon the Zora with all the might he possessed, swinging a crushing spirit fueled blow forward at his foe's midsection.
Kae Bryseis/Zora's River Overlook/Evening/Day 2
Off the scale. Magic everywhere, but not enough to make her stop and nitpick about how it was used. No time to think in a battle...
"Let him fight. Help from a distance if you must, but respect his wishes."
Kae took one of her shards and had it concealed in an advantageous position...if it came to it she'd stay in cover and fight with simple rotes. This was not a fight she wanted to be a part of. Polaris wanted it this way, so an insurance policy of sorts was to be taken out. 
Drawing on the advantage of night, Kae did her best to try to cloak herself from magical detection. These wards would also serve as a moderate protection against stray bolts of whatever was being thrown around out there. Polaris' opponent had a similar energy signature to hers, but the source was different, as was the paradigm. She kept an eye on where the golem was, as well.
It looked to be at even strength so far with traded blows. The next set of attacks would help her gauge the better combatant.
As she had it planned, if the fight did not go the way she wanted it to, that shard would turn into a sword and hurtle directly at the monk-type caster from behind. Still, she analyzed how both of them fought, trying to come up with a good plan of attack. Countermagic wasn't a problem on her end. If she found the power similar enough, she could further sabotage it...
Quietly, she hoped that the golem would not enter combat. Lynn most likely would have her fight it because of its origin...would her magic even work on it?
Polaris/ Overlooking Zoras River/ Night 2
The Hylian, whomever he was moved at a speed almost unfathomable to Polaris, disintegrating the bulk of the projectiles Polaris had thrown at him with multiple controlled blasts of the energy he had unleashed upon Polaris in his initial attack. The few he did not destroy either missed him entirely, or inflicted wounds of no substance.
The man spoke of honor and what little he presumed Polaris possessed. "I promise you, you'll not enjoy this."
With those words he was on Polaris in an instant, looking to sever him in two, and surely would have succeeded had Polaris not raised his blade at the last second and deflected the blow downward, shattering his own frozen sword in the process. Polaris however, did not escape unscathed, the tip of the mans blade sliced directly into Polaris' upper thigh, severing muscle and leaving a rather sizable wound in its wake, but at least there was still breath in his lungs.
Ignoring the searing pain in his leg and fearing that he may well be outmatched, Polaris encapsulated both his hands and feet in blocks of ice. Fueled by the possibility of defeat, and maybe, finally, relief from his tormented existence, Polaris was envigoraed like never before. He lashed out at his adversary with a barrage of close quarters kicks and punches, all of which were rebuffed without Polaris landing a single, solid blow.
His muscles starting to tingle and his leg aching much more than it had a few short moments ago, Polaris withdrew the silver dagger from his boot, and, pouring a great deal of his strength into it, his true weapon began to take form. Nameless, without definitive size or shape, Polaris twirled the blade in his hand. 
"You fight with a power the likes of which I've only heard tell of in legends and lore. Truly a formiddable opponent, and if by some chance I am to finally join my former brothers in arms, and meet death this night, at least I will be guided by able hands."
With an icy gaze set in his eyes, Polaris began to circle his opponent, awaiting his next move.
Darrel Mytura - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
A silver dagger in hand, the Zora and the Hylian circled one another. Darrel was surprised and impressed with the Zora's ability to compartmentalize, to wall off the pain of the blow that his sword had struck. Instead he had attacked with even greater vigor, the appearance of ice on his appendages forced Darrel to further fuel his body with spiritual energies. One of the spirit signatures that he'd felt approach had winked out, masked by some sort of magic was Darrel's only guess. He couldn't worry about that though, the Zora had requested a one on one, the Sword of the Sunrise could only hope they acquiesced.
"If you join your brothers in arms this night, it will be as if by your own hand. You came upon my home in ignorance, and out of your ignorance was borne violence. You have nary a soul to blame but yourself." Darrel announced wrathfully, his jaw muscles clenching. He thought he had put it behind him, but this life kept choosing him. "The same applies to the rest of you!"
Darrel made the first move, feinting right with his sword. When the Zora brought up his fins to block the blow it became evident that the move had been a trick. The Zora turned to try and block his other side but Darrel was already swinging in with a powerful left fist to his unprotected torso.
Habiki - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
The moment the fighting broke out between Darrel and the strangely marked fish-man, Habiki stepped away, not wanting to engage in the conflict. 
The fish-man called out to the shadows.
"Lynn, Kae, do not attack so long as the numbers remain even. It has been sometime since my last fight, I intend to enjoy this." 
The sight of the two men fighting disturbed him, though he could not fully comprehend why.
He felt little empathy for his comrade, Darrel. He felt little at all other than a vague unsettledness at the image of blades crossing.
The battle raged on as he turned his back to them and began to drift away from the hut, studying the shadows around him. Strange shapes seemed to shift in the darkness, barely visible in the fading light.
The figures frightened him. Instinctively, to combat the darkness, Habiki held his hand over his mouth and began to cough, until soon his body released a small white orb of light from his mouth, covered in his saliva. He held it firmly in his left hand, waving it around in the shadows. 
“Who there!?” he shouted.
He saw noone, at first, the creatures clearly having the sense to hide. 
Though he couldn't see them, he could, through the orb, feel the vague traces of light that reflected off the surfaces of their figures and back to him. It was night, and so these traces of reflected light were so faint that he could not get a fix on their location, only a vague picture of where they might be. He had no idea what was happening. Why did Ro-cky hide? Why did the spirit-man fight the fish-man? What was an "intoorlop?"
The thing that troubled him most was, while he was a poor counter, he was fairly sure he had seen more figures in the shadows than he was currently sensing. There were figures he didn't have a beat on at all.
He was about to flee, when suddenly he stopped in his tracks. The light of his orb began to pulse underneath his fingers.
He heard the whispers of Lanayru in his spirit, barely audible from this distance to the spring, but he heard it. Or rather, he sensed what it was feeling. It was pleading with him, to act, or at least to prepare for action. 
‘Why Habiki help?’ he thought back to the spirit. ‘Orange-man is not Habiki. If he hurt, Habiki not get hurt. If Habiki help, Habiki get hurt from sword. Habiki not help. Why should?’
He felt the disappointment of the Light spirit within him.
“Have you no empathy, no compassion?” it seemed to ask him. “Do you not care at all for their fate? Or are you simply incapable of understanding? Of comprehending the pain of others?”
Habiki welled up with pain and confusion.
‘Why should help?’ thought Habiki again, this time sincerely.
“Because then maybe you can rely on the Spirit-mage to do the same.”
Emotion flooded through Habiki as he understood. He felt the power of it, of knowing that in helping the orange-man, he might come to need the same from him someday. He knew then what it meant, to feel the pain of others, to long to quell their pain, to sooth them.
He looked back from where he stood at the ensuing battle between Darrel and Polaris. He saw now what had unsettled him, what had been buried beneath his self-preservation. These men would bring destruction on each other. And this was suddenly unbearable to him.
His hands clenched into fists, one around the orb of light, and he stepped back towards the hut, ready to join the fight the moment he was needed.
Night 2/Darrel's Hut/Lynn Annei
Lynn was full ready to join Polaris in his little duel against the Hylian, request to fight unaided or not. She made her way closer to the fight, knowing from experience that most fighters enter a tunnel vision when in such a circumstance, and it would be a simple task to strike into the fray and slip her steel into a sensitive part of the Hylian's anatomy. She was sidetracked when she noticed that the Twili golem was backing away from the engagement.
Now what is that thing doing? Running to its true master? She'd have to find out; she began to follow it.
Her curiosity peaked when the artificial entity disgorged a ball of light from inside itself and began muttering. Lynn worried a magical attack was imminent and rushed toward the creature to interrupt its incantation. At the same time, the clay abomination started to make its way back toward the hut.
Shit! An enchantment on itself to power for battle... I was too late.
Only one way was apparent to deal with such a situation. SHe flung a deku nut at the thing's feet to distract it. It reeled at the sudden blinding spark of light; just the opening Lynn had wanted. A short sprint, a juke to the left, and she buried her sword into the clay of its back. She allowed herself a small smirk of satisfaction at her success and turned to watch the golem fall to the ground.
Polaris/ Darrels Hut/ Night 2
Polaris was foolish to fall for the juke, and he paid for the lapse in concentration when a fist slammed into his ribs with a muffled thump temporarily knocking the wind out of him. Struggling to regain normal breathing it felt as if there wasn't enough oxygen in all the world to quench his longing.
Stalling to regain his composure, "Ignorance? I'll admit, sneaking up to your hut in the dead of night was not the best way to approach you, but consorting with this golem, which was obviously constructed by our enemy, in a time of war!? Do you not see the ignorance in that?!?!"
Lunging forward with the frozen silver dagger Polaris aimed high, at a spot just below the right clavicle.
Night 2/Darrel's Hut/Habiki
Habiki turned to return to the hut, ready to assist Darrel however he could.
Suddenly, a flash of light burst at his feet. He reeled from the shock. This was clearly meant to disorient him, but it had done just the opposite. For a single instant, he was completely aware of his surroundings even in the darkness, and from behind felt the presence of a slender female figure approaching him at lightning speed, silently. 
He "saw" that her hand was clutching the hilt of a sword, and in the split seconds that she approached him, as the light of his own Light Heart cast onto her and his image of her grew clearer, it donned on him that he must dodge the blow.
Much too late, as she was within feet of him, did he realize that the blade of her weapon was somehow obscure. He had only a vague idea of which way her blade was facing, and no idea from which angle she would strike. Before he could even think to move or react, she had already juked to the left and buried her blade into the leathery surface of his back.
He was far too slow, and had not even moved when he'd seen the enemy coming. How could he be so stupid! Stupid, STUPID!
The woman stood there, smiling, clearly expecting him to fall. He did not. He stood there for a moment, gasping. Then he composed himself, and, grabbing the blade that protruded from his chest, tightening it in his right fist as his fingers "bled" a ruddy brown mud, he pulled the sword, hilt and all, out from his own chest.
He screamed as it sliced through his internal organs. There was a large, collapsed hole right through his torso. He was in intense pain. He cast the sword aside in disgust. Then once again he regained his composure and turned to the woman, who was clearly in shock that he had shrugged off her attack even as he had failed to dodge it.
"Lady try to hurt! Habiki not let. Habiki stop you!"
Lanayru's words echoed in his mind, and he was beginning to understand. He longed to hurt this woman, but must not. He must not kill her even though she would unquestioningly kill him. She didn't understand what she was, the destruction she brought. Still, he must stop her!
"Habiki feel sorry for you!" he exclaimed, then, raising the fist that contained his Light Heart, he dashed for her. Focusing all of his conviction into his fist, he punched the woman fiercely in the chest. The Light of her Deku Nut had made him infinitesimally stronger, but the fervor that followed had nearly doubled his power. As his fist met her chest, it created a collossal shock wave of light that threatened to blast her backwards.
Kae Bryseis/Zora's River Overlook/Evening/Day 2
Lynn was in trouble. Kae decided to compartmentalize her mind and activate a 2nd Star Shard Sword, fighting from a distance to assist her Sheikah comrade. Polaris had his hands full, and Kae was monitoring his life force. If it dropped too low, she'd spring the trap. That sword was constantly examining him just to be sure.
Moving under twilight's cover, Kae approached closer to Lynn and then sent the sword flying towards the Twili golem so as to engage in telekinetic melee. No beams unless she had to; that sphere would probably eat them anyway.
It felt sorry for something that was trying to kill it? If the homonculus truly believed that, it should not have been fighting in the first place. 
That thing is malfunctioning...homonculi usually defend their masters with a high caliber of ardor. This thing can't possibly be under the control of the other caster...it is at a disadvantage. Pathetic wretch. It is only defending itself...but it is of enemy make...it has to go down.
Kae was over-analyzing when Lynn got hit. Hard. She began to attempt attacks with the blade, doing what she could to avoid the sphere and her partner, hoping that the practice she'd done with this technique would hold true. She also wished that her dampening ward would hold so that she'd remain undetected. Considering that she was channeling four spells at once (shard blades, life forces, dampening field, telekinetic combat), this would most likely not hold up.
Darrel Mytura - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
The blade sliced for his collar bone, trailing a chill wind in its wake. Darrel was shocked that his punch had had so little effect, which his strength so drastically increased he had expected to take the Zora from his feet. Instead he was forced to block the blow with his sword, one blade charged with blazingly hot energy, the other with arctic ice. They stood nose to nose, eye to eye.
"I see ignorance only where it exists! Had you thought to inquire properly, you would have been met with cooperation! Instead you brought ill conceived strong arm tactics to my doorstep and this is what you've received in return." Darrel growled before summoning his full strength. 
And with that he shifted, swinging his blade around to knock his foe's away. Before the Zora could readjust and make another attack Darrel seized his upper arm and lifted him off the ground, still looking him in the eye.
"This is your doing. Any blood shed here is on your hands." Darrel hurled him backwards several paces. His throwing hand remained outstretched, bolts and sparks of spirit energy began to coalesce in his palm. "I respect your vigor and your power, Zora, but I will brook no more of this. You stand before the Sword of the Sunrise and I urge you. Stand down."
Polaris/ Darrels Hut/ Night 2
Polaris was flung backwards like a rag doll, landing several feet away, he dropped to a knew. He did not want to give up the fight, to admit defeat. But he was also unsure as to how he could possibly achieve victory against a foe, that it seemed he could not injure, this man was clearly stronger than he. True he was a bit rusty, but even at his strongest the Hylian would be a daunting foe.
"I respect your vigorand your power, Zora, but I will brook no more of this. You stand before the Sword of the Sunrise and I urge you. Stand down."
Momentarily Polaris' thoughts drifted to the river, if he weren't in such a weakened state, he could easily wipe the entire area clean, house and all, under a massive tidal wave, but he'd lost a great deal of blood, and the exertion required for such a task woul leave him very weak, more likely dead afterwards.
"Perhaps, it would be a wise decision...Sword of the Sunrise you say? The name strikes a cord somewhere deep in my memory, but I cannot recall why."
The glacial coverings of his extremities fell, as water, to the ground. Still clinging tight to the hilt of his dagger, Polaris rose to his feet, ready to resume the offensive if need be.
"Heh, you know what they say about assumptions...you'll have to forgive both my companions and myself." Audibly chuckling. "One of us, has a tendedncy to get, a bit overzealous I suppose...I have been traveling with them for only a short time now, but I assure you their intentions are of a good nature. My name is Polaris, and I wonder, if there is still a chance at the cooperation you spoke of? Or do we continue the fight until this damned leg gives out and becomes the end of me?
Night 2/Darrel's Hut/Lynn Annei
The golem didn't go down. It didn't go down! These manufactured soldiers were made of sturdier stuff than Lynn had anticipated. She was still registering shock at its durability when it shouted at her and threw a punch. There was a blinding flash of light, greater in intensity even than the Deku Nut she had thrown moments before, and then the force of the blow sent Lynn flying backward like a rag doll, and knocked any recollection of what the thing had yelled from her memory. Her next thought, that she would later be able to bring to mind, was tumbling to a stop a few feet behind Kae.
She groaned and gasped for air. It had been some time since she'd actually felt a blow land against her, she had grown acquainted to the easy confrontations versus Hylian-trained fighters. Those she knew how to anticipate, how to react and dodge when they came for her. This thing was a different entity entirely.
Kae was concentrating, hard, on her magic. Lynn saw one of the mage's celestial shards vying against the construct under telekinetic control. If history had taught her anything, it was that Kae couldn't keep that up for long in these conditions. Lynn pulled herself to her knees and gasped for air that had so recently been rent from her chest. Her vice-handed grip had saved her one sword, the other was either stuck in the clay man or lying near his feet. No matter.
It only takes a single blade to decapitate.
Wincing she stood, gave Kae a soft touch to the shoulder in support and gratitude, and then charged back into the fray, moving a little slower than before. She coordinated her movements with those of Kae's astral weapon. One left, one right. Strike high, strike low. The golem, while slow, was in some sort of battle rage. Each strike was met with the hardened clay of its extremities. In the moon's meagre light, Lynn didn't even know if their attack were having any effect at all but to wear out the stamina of the two Sheikah.
She needed a better tactic, and quickly. Deku Nut again? No, it would not provide a tangible advantage. Throwing needles? They'd barely scratch this thing's skin. What she needed was a bit of Kae's magic for herself, but that was far out of her league. Slowly she began to retreat, back toward the river, while striking at the beastly creature whenever it seemed to be distracted, or losing interest in her. Kae needed to stay undiscovered. She was the key to this fight.
And Lynn knew she was losing as it was.
Kae Bryseis/Zora's River Overlook/Evening/Day 2
It looked like one side of the combat was interested in calling a truce. Lynn was trying to keep the golem away from Kae. This needed to stop soon, so Kae decided to find a way to do so. She projected her voice from another location so as not to give her position away. The blade currently attacking the golem was positioned to make a critical strike, locked on, but not moving, and the hidden shard activated, becoming another blade pointed in the direction of the other caster threatening Polaris.
"This is becoming a stalemate. It needs to end. I could kill you both right now, but I'd rather not. If you said it was a misunderstanding, I'd love to clarify. Enough blood has been given to the ground this night. But enlighten me; what is a Twili golem doing here?"
Kae stayed in cover, hoping her words would reach at least one of the combatants. What caused this change in her strategy? Two flicks of the wrist, fight over. Why prolong the agony? Her curiosity was getting the better of her to a degree. And something was wrenching at her gut to end the conflict in a better way than the last one. Make up for destroying the guard tower infrastructure. Winning may have meant never having to apologize, and writing the history books, but not knowing the truth would be hard to live with, especially if this was indeed a mistake of a combat. It wasn't words that reached her, it was a gut-feeling that did this.
"Apprentice, you are wise to use mediation, but it has a good chance of failure. Be aware."
I am not my master. With the measure I use, so will it be with me.
"If we somehow manage to find an agreement, I have potions...very good ones...but where do we start? Yes, we start by ending kinetic operations. I will dismiss my blades if the golem and the caster stand down, so we can get to the bottom of this."
== Stop, Collaborate, and Listen ==
Darrel Mytura - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
"To you, honorable Zora, I will comply. We each stand down, sheath our weapons, and speak as one warrior to another." Darrel said, acknowledging the appreciation he had come to find in his adversary. The man was a soldier, one who would fight when he had to but would put his weapons away and act with patience when not driven by overzealous fools. When next he spoke, it was to the disembodied voice that had addressed them all.
"But for you, whomever you may be, you are thoughtless intruders bringing ignorant violence to my home. It will be you and your compatriot who stand down, and you will reveal yourself. If you don't I promise you right now you'll not lay flesh or spell upon me before I kill you."
Kae Bryseis/Zora's River Overlook/Evening/Day 2
"Stop channeling...it is starting to hurt. When you tap into it, it takes far more from you than it does from me. I think you got your point across..."
Line of sight...four rotes at once...I should have thought better of it...no wonder I drained her so fast...crap!
Sensing that it was going nowhere, the blades dismissed in an indigo flash, vanishing into the sky with a trail of stardust. Kae then stepped from cover with five phials of a familiar looking red liquid, two in one hand, three in the other.
"I'm ready to talk. If you're going to kill me, do it. Otherwise, let's figure this out. I am now unarmed, carrying restoratives."
She held out her hands to display the compact flasks, cupping them.
"I do not know if they will work on the construct, but it is one way of offering a branch, I guess?"
Night 2/Darrel's Hut/Habiki
Habiki punched again at the Sheikah warrior, to which she stepped deftly out of the way. He leapt up into the air, directing the force of his punch downward towards her head. She stepped out of the way, a large crater appearing where she had been only seconds before.
Lynn's blade struck Habiki, again, and again, and each time she slashed him he did not make to dodge, taking the brunt of it with his crossed forearms. He simply kept advancing, for all appearances unaffected by her blade...but appearances were deceiving.
He only blocked with his arms because he lacked the speed to evade her attacks, and he only advanced because keeping her close was the only thing preventing her from running circles around him. None of this was about tactics, mind you, simply pure instinct mingled with adrenaline, his attempts to self-preserve.
His punches were draining the Light that made up his life force, and every successive punch was weaker by far than the last, the shockwave diminishing in strength.
Most of all, his punches were hurting himself more than they were hurting his opponent, anymore. Every time his fist impacted with her or a nearby tree as he missed his mark, his spirit winced as the force of his own punch began to crush his spirit, the Light Heart, inside his very fist. His weapon was a two edged sword.
Finally he began to slow down. One of the replacement fingers on his left hand, the reddish silt that made it up, collapsed and fell away into dust from his gray body. The Sheikah continued slashing and soon deep gashes appeared in the clay across his arms, looking more like the marks of a sculpting knife then wounds until his ruddy brown "blood" began to ooze out. His arms suddenly felt far less solid, more like wet clay then solid body as the blade continuously slashed deeper and deeper into his arms. 
Soon her blade would rend his arms from his body, in which case she wouldn't even have to land a killing blow...the separation of his Light Heart from his body would be enough to dispel the animation of the clay, and the weight of 200 pounds of moistened dirt standing on humanoid legs would no longer be able to support its structure. The moment she rended his arms from his body, his legs would collapse under him like an unfortified sculpture, and his entire body would collapse on impact with the ground.
She jumped and swung her blade to the left as he turned his back to her, desperately trying to defend the arms that had before acted as shields, when his strength had allowed for it. Her blade cut through his back like butter. Moments before he had had the upper hand, the sheer suprise of using power she had not expected. But now that she was accustomed to his attack pattern, and the power his magic provided was waning, and he had no means of attack, she would kill him if this fight continued any longer. She was the superior warrior, she knew battle.
Suddenly a voice rang out.
"I'm ready to talk. If you're going to kill me, do it. Otherwise, let's figure this out. I am now unarmed, carrying restoratives."
He waited for the blade to fall one last time and land its killing blow.
Darrel Mytura - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
"It's a start." Darrel said coldly as he watched the young Sheikah woman materialize out of the darkness, what appeared to be restorative potions in hand. She wanted to offer an olive branch, he'd accept it with reservation. Polaris had proven his mettle, now there was but one other to deal with. Darrel approached slowly, both fists gripping the hilt of Morning's Edge.
"Step back from Habiki," he ordered through gritted teeth as the blade of his sword began to shine with orange light. He drew the energies around him in through the weapon, irradiating it with spirit. "lest you be destroyed. By what you've shown I place his life, an Interloper creation, over yours. Put your blades away and prove yourself better than they."
Night 2/Darrel's Hut/Lynn Annei
Lynn was fatiguing. Sher could feel her limbs burn. They had not received enough oxygen after the wind was knocked from her before she had begun taxing them again, and now she was paying for her rash actions. But the golem was slowing, as well, its power seeming to wane as the blows came at a more leisurely pace and caused less and less of an impact. With a bit more willpower to hold out against her aching arms, she could finish the beast. Suddenly, she saw a lucky opening. For some reason the thing turned its back to her. She struck, a final desperate blow, and easily shoved her blade into its back.
Victory!
It was short-lived when she heard Kae's voice. "I'm ready to talk. If you're going to kill me, do it. Otherwise, let's figure this out. I am now unarmed, carrying restoratives."
What the hell was that made doing, giving in to the enemy here on the very cusp of victory over the traitors. Kae stepped into the light of the hut, showing that her words were the truth, and her star shards were dispelled.
"No." murmured Lynn.
And then the Hylian directed his voice to her.
"Step back from Habiki," he ordered, "lest you be destroyed. By what you've shown I place his life, an Interloper creation, over yours. Put your blades away and prove yourself better than they."
His sword was leveled at her, and it glowed with a magical light. Spirit energy, if the colour was any indication, and her memory was correct about her lax studies. Nonetheless, she would not give in. Never compromise.
"Your opinion matters not to me, traitor. I answer to a higher authority."
She didn't have the energy to pull the weapon from the Twili creation's back. But she did have a form of leverage. She leaned her weight against the hilt and began to slowly slice it downward. She was quite light, however, and the metal barely moved in the thick black clay.
Night 2/Darrel's Hut/Habiki
There were now two large holes through Habiki's toros. One going straight through his back and out his chest, and another, lower cut that was slowly slicing down his back. He could feel the weight of the Sheikah woman's arm on the blade as it cut him open. The contents of his innards began to spill out, his intestines, his stomach. He had lost more "blood" than he could handle. His eyes clouded over, and the already dark night around him went black.
"Papa. Habiki try...harder...next time." His eyelids began to close. Under his lids he saw the face of the Deku Tree, calling to him. He saw his goal. Suddenly the Light in his arm flared up again, and he thrust his left hand back to face the woman. With his hand partially closed over the ball of light, he blasted her again with a wave of energy, this time without touching her.
The Sheikah woman flew backwards, the blast propelling the blade from Habiki's back as well, the sword landing point down in the earth next to her.
The Sheikah was not dead, but she was unconscious. Habiki grabbed the insides spilling out of his back awkwardly with his right arm, shoving them back in and pushing the flap of skin shut. It was still a rather grotesque sight.
"Orange-man, Habiki do good?" he said, turning to smile at Darrel before falling to one knee, wincing in pain as he struggled for air.
He looked up. "Went inside now?"
Darrel Mytura - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
He nodded, then turned to the house. "Raki! Habiki needs your help getting inside."
After that he crossed the gap between himself and where the Sheikah lay, grasping her by the ankle and dragging her, rather unceremoniously, toward his cabin. His sword, held in his other hand, gleamed still with deadly spirit energy. With it he invited the other two move against him, and with the Sheikah he showed them how they would be treated if they did.
"Come inside." He told them, pushing the door open and dragging his dead weight up the steps. He was pretty sure she hit her head on each step. Once inside he lifted her up and dropped her on a bench. "Take a seat, I'll be back in a moment."
He left the room, and when he returned he was carrying several lengths of chain. Quickly he wrapped them around his unconscious burden, tying her to the bench on which she lay. With a couple quick sparks of energy he welded them together in key places. Once he was satisfied that she was going nowhere until he wanted her to he moved over to the table where the others had seated themselves.
"You two have earned some trust, she has done nothing but prove she deserves none. I will cooperate with you two, but she remains bound until I'm satisfied." he told them both. His sword he finally replaced in its scabbard, leaning it against the table next to him. 
"Before I answer your questions you can answer mine, in the spirit of cooperation and all that. What are you doing coming upon my house in the dead of night, jumping to conclusions without seeking answers peacefully? Especially such a mixed bag as you three. What are you doing out here? I would think such a zealous patriot," he said, jerking a thumb to the chained up Sheikah "would be off to the south fighting a real war, rather than going off on some baseless witch hunt."
Kae Bryseis/Darrel's Hut/Evening/Day 2
Kae didn't appreciate how Lynn was being treated, but there was little she could do about it. After they were inside, Kae passed out her flasks to the others. She then proceeded to quaff one herself to prove she was being honest, though she didn't really need one. A few winged arrow wounds were not enough to be concerned about, especially with her treated bandages rapidly mending said injuries. Tacked onto the mist was a subconscious message to her partner, though she would not take it well when she woke up.
"You will be all right when you come to. Please do not attack anyone. Mistaken identity..."
As she listened to the other caster speak, she quickly went to work on her unconscious partner, uncorking the flask and turning it into a fine mist. She then placed it upright on the floor. Lynn breathed, and the potion would proceed to mist into her nose until the bottle was empty.
"You appealed to my sense of honor and such, as did your Arts. My companion isn't going to be happy when she wakes, but she will be fine. This wasn't my call to make, but I believe that this was a case of mistaken identity. She and I have been pursuing a destructive flame-caster who attacked Castle Town last evening...the energies to her matched the signature. I respect her, yet she has little education of things beyond the mundane."
Kae paused, collected her thoughts, and continued.
"I wasn't sure what was happening, and we decided to approach quietly because she saw orange light patterns. I didn't have enough time to divine power sources. We saw a golem, she declared it an enemy, and kinetics began. I had no time to make a good decision...it looked like enemy equipment...and I'm sorry I attempted to kill you both. I would like to know a little bit about it, however, because it is strange to see it here."
"You are on the low ground. Build a foundation, establish a rapport, make a few concessions. But DO NOT sell your partner out. She is too unyielding where you find a modicum of slight moderation. It is that ability to know when to take a calculated risk that saved your lives. She'll want to beat the ever living hell out of you when she gets up...and she will not listen to reason as you do. Her lineage is showing, as is yours. First generation as opposed to fifth..."
She then walked over to the golem and tried the same misting therapy rote on it. A fine red cloud dispersed in multiple directions, filling wounds, nostrils, and such.
"We Sheikah represent the Crown and its justice. I believe there has been a major disservice done, and I wish to make things right if I can. Action like this is most likely why others we've seen have thrown in their lot with the Twili...there is time for violence and time for reason...I want reason to win out..."
Night 2/Darrel's Hut/Raki
Raki lay inside the chest, terrified of the strange noises he heard from outside. The sounds of clinging metal and flinging magic rang in the air, mingled with grunts, yells, and screams as blades cut into opposing flesh.
Eventually, the noise began to die down, and finally he heard Darrel's voice cry out.
"Raki! Habiki needs your help getting inside."
He hesitated, worrying that this was some kind of trick by whoever had attacked the house. Maybe Darrel was saying these things at knife-point.
But he was still cursing himself for having hidden in the first place when Habiki and Darrel might have needed him, so after a brief moment spent slowing his breath and trying to stop himself from shaking so badly, he opened the lid to the chest.
He was surrounded by strange figures. A strange woman was bound to a bench with chains, another Sheikah was sitting at the table with Darrel, and across from them...
"polaris..." he whispered under his breath in awe.
When the others turned to look at him in the chest, he quickly scrambled to his feet and ran out the door as fast as he could. 'What is going on?' he thought to himself.
He walked out and saw the man of clay, on one knee, terribly injured.
"Habiki!" He ran over to his companion, grabbing him by the arm. Habiki's eyes were rolling around, unable to focus on anything, and he was clearly struggling to stay conscious. He saw the wounds covering his body. It looked as if he had been sliced completely open, and stabbed clean through his body several times, and the gaping wound where his innards should have spilled out had been crudely closed. There were gashes on his arm. Habiki looked at the Light Heart, again flickering and weak, only slightly better than it had been before they'd come to Darrel's Hut for help.
He grabbed the Light Heart and placed it gently in Habiki's mouth, but knew that it wouldn't find its proper destination, his internal organs being so torn and shattered. But it would keep him alive.
He grabbed Habiki by the arm and helped him to his feet, assisting Habiki to support his own weight as they made their way up the porch steps.
When they got inside, he closed the door behind him, and Habiki collapsed back onto his knees. The Sheikah woman at the table was healing the combatants, and when Habiki entered the room she proffered him one of her potions. Raki watched as the woman's magic caused the potion to mist and drift to Habiki's wounds. Raki knew it would only do so much good for him. His wounds were incredibly severe, and he was made of clay...but the potion did seem to have some small effect, at least.
His wounds seemed to scab over, and his eyes began to focus. It wasn't enough though, because he collapsed, unconscious, on the floor.
Raki flared up in anger. He turned to Darrel.
"What the HELL are you doing, bringing these people here?"
Darrel tried to protest, but Raki would not let him finish.
"Oh, and I know, I know, I'm not supposed to swear, but this is ridiculous! They attacked Habiki, didn't they? I don't think Habiki's ever fought a day in his life, and you welcome these people in here after they nearly KILL him?"
He turned to Polaris, and to the Sheikah who was healing their wounds, and finally to the woman chained up on the bench.
"Was it her? Did she do it?" he began to calm down. "...that's why she's chained up, isn't it?" he smiled. "Well, at least she won't do anymore damage for a while."
He turned back to the table, pulled up a seat, and sat down. "So, will someone tell me what's going on? Like why the great Polaris apparently attacked us?" There was an air of exasperation in his voice.
Polaris/ Darrels Hut/ Night 2
Although he agreed that Lynns actions were uncalled for, Polaris didn't entirely agree with the rather unceremonious way with which she was being handled. He'd hoped to give her the benefit of the doubt, but at this point, after her attack on the golem Habiki, when the battle had already ended, he strongly doubted her mental stability. Therefore he voiced no disagreement with her being chained, it could keep her from getting hurt even worse.
The potion from Kae seemed to help ease his physical discomfort to a degree, but truthfully the wound wouldn't hamper him for long. His body had adapted a unique way of healing itself ever since his "resurrection.".
After both Kae and Raki spoke, Polaris broke his silence, "As for myself, I've just returned to Hyrule after having been gone for quite sometime. It would seem that I possess an odd knack for showing up during times of unrest."
Taking another, tentative sip from the potion bottle Kae had provided. "And after a brief visit to Castle Town I happened upon these two in the field. After hearing their cause I decided to travel with them, at least for a time."
Turning to face Raki, "Kae petty much covered why we attacked, but technically, we were attacked first, more specifically, I was attacked first. It was not unprovoked and I do not blame him, I would've done the same. What, may I ask are you doing way from your home?
Darrel Mytura - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
"Reason. Right." Darrel muttered as he cast his glance from Polaris, a name he'd heard in ancient times, to Raki, to Habiki, to Kae, and then at last to Lynn, the Sheikah that had brought all of this to his doorstep. "I said I would explain this creature if you stood down and I will attempt to do so, but be warned much of what I know is a mystery.
"From what I could glean he appears to have been created, as you so quickly deduced, by the Interlopers who even now invade from the south. Still, the things I've heard of these stone puppets suggests they are fearsome, and while he has some strange abilities he does not appear the battlefield terror that has been described to me. No I believe he fled or was abandoned."
A puppet without a puppeteer, an odd concept. Still these Twili and their magicks were quite advanced to have created their own forms of life, however limited they were.
"Raki, tell them the rest."
Raki- Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
Raki cocked an eye-ridge at Darrel. "Hey, you know as much as I do." Though it was basically true, he was really just trying to avoid saying too much...these intruders rubbed him the wrong way.
Still, they looked at him, seemingly genuinely curious why a Zora juvenile was traveling with a golem of enemy make.
"Eh, fine. All I know is that Habiki’s apparently unlike other Twili golems in that he has a will of his own…but he’s not too bright. Plus he’s not just solid clay, he’s got all the plumbing. Well, yesterday I sort of stumbled into being his…babysitter? Eh, I guess I’d say his medic, which fits since I'm into biology stuff. Madam Loa says I should be a physician when I grow up...and I have to tell you, Habiki's body is unlike anything I've ever read about or-"
Darrel coughed, trying to bring Raki back on point.
"Damn, I'm rambling," he blushed green, realizing he was opening up to the very people who had ambushed him. "Anyways, I’m trying to get him to Castle Town. There’s an Earth Mage there who should be able to give him better care. And then it’s off to Faron.”
The eyes around the table all seemed to widen ever so slightly at the mention of Faron...or perhaps belatedly to the child's somewhat foul language.
“Habiki seems to have been given some kind of mission by the Light Spirit that lives in Lanayru Spring. Apparently, Lanayru told him to present the Great Deku Tree with something important..." He looked back at Habiki, unceremoniously splayed on the floor. Suddenly his tone shifted at seeing how his new companion had been handled. "I'm not sure if I should say what, to be honest. I can't just trust whoever comes waltzing in asking questions, especially people who've tried to kill us. That's why Darrel's decided to be our escort." He said this even as he began to accept that maybe they weren’t after a fight, that the woman in chains might be the only enemy among them.
He shoved his seat away from the table and stood up.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to perform surgery.” he said sardonically as he rolled his eyes and strode over to his fallen comrade. He knelt next to the man of earth and light, looking closely at his wounds. Raki reached for his pack to get the supplies he needed. Suddenly he looked around. It wasn’t there.
"Hey, um, Darrel?...have you seen my pack?"
Raki scanned the room, suddenly remembering that Habiki had stumbled over their wares before he had shut himself in the chest to avoid the fight. He must have taken it outside with him.
Raki shook his head. “I think Habiki dropped it when the fighting broke out. I’ll be right back, just need to get my stuff," he said as he moved towards the door. “You guys go ahead and get better acquainted while I do some actual work,” he quipped, though the edge was finally gone from his voice, and a smile threatened to spread across his face.
Kae Bryseis/Darrel's Hut/Evening/Day 2
Kae took in as much of the information she could. These constructs always confused her, but she didn't have any reason to believe why the young Zora would be lying. And considering who was going to be taking them to the Deku Tree (provided the Twili hadn't obliterated it by now), they'd be in good hands. She was half tempted to offer to accompany, but her orders were orders. It just felt like she was chasing a ghost. One man. Who might have been stopped by other folks by now. It would take a bit of divination to understand truly why these orders were important.
"Apprentice, I just felt something from our Masters. They're going to want your attention. Your dreams are not your own tonight."
"Lanaryu, eh? This construct keeps getting more and more interesting. It's going to require a lot of good fortune getting it to the Tree. Bravery...speaks for itself here."
She mused quietly and looked over at her chained comrade. How would she get her under control when she stirred? There would be bloodlust. A lot of rage. Kae had a decent amount of training when it came to dealing with people, reading emotions to an extent. In the end, she thought she'd be doing her master's job as a fortune teller and seer. Lynn was an overzealous soldier, with few options in the bag to pull out. Very good at what she had in there, but glaring weaknesses when it came to discernment. 
I want to help her too. She has to figure it out, but still, this incident is so anomalous. Why do I have a feeling she's going to try to charge me with treason or kill me, though?
Kae blushed a little, fidgeting with her fingers before asking Darrel, "Our magic shares similar paradigms...what exactly is your craft?"
Summary: Kae's worried about Lynn, Nora tells her that she's getting dream visitors (oh snap), and shows brief interest in Habiki's journey as well as Darrel's magic. Didn't want to cram too much info into one post; She'll be exploring more about Polaris' history as time permits. 
Darrel Mytura - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
The young Sheikah girl looked at him, a slight warmth to her cheeks, and queried about his magic. He almost laughed, how many times had he been in a position like this, forced to reintroduce himself to a new generation of light warriors. How often he had pretended himself a mortal, no older than they. It appeared such a lie was out of the question this time, he'd already revealed himself to Polaris.
"Less of a craft and more of a calling. I am imbued with the power to channel, manifest, and manipulate spirit energies. A great deal goes into it, but it doesn't require elaborate spells and incantations. It's something of a birthright." he replied, even offering some small smile to her. "I don't even think we've properly introduced ourselves. I am Darrel Mytura, or as I told Polaris outside, I've also been called the Sword of the Sunrise off and on throughout history.
 "What about the rest of you?" 
Raki- Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night 
Once outside, his eyes scanned the surrounding clearing, struggling to see in the darkness. He would never find it on such a dark night…but he knew he couldn’t wait until morning. The contents of the jar in his pack were too valuable to just leave lying around.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but he could swear he heard noises in the dark, some strange slurping sound, like some gelatinous muck. He followed where the noise seemed to be coming from.
The sounds grew louder, and he was sure now that they weren’t only in his head. He crouched in the shadows and grabbed at the fins on his elbow, pulling them firmly, and winced as they slowly slid out and yellow-green pus dribbled down from the sockets. The holes looked more like gaping wounds than docks for a Zora’s fins. He noticed for the first time in his life that strange numbness as his fins made the transition from live appendages to tools.
The fins took on the shape of Zora boomerangs as he prepared to take on whatever lay in the shadows. But he was still a developing juvenile, his fins not yet developed enough to act as proper weapons. They were still mostly soft and nervous tissue that had yet to be replaced by the conductive cells that would allow them to become rigid and hold a cutting edge…they were firm enough to hold their shape, but not suitable for combat.
Still, he grasped these poor weapons firmly in his hands as he approached the noise. Finally, he saw his pack lying there, lonely in the grassy clearing just short of the trees. He peered into his pack and saw that some sort of strange green goop had spilled on his belongings. Most of this secretion was trickling over the bottle of light.
“Ah crap, what the hell is this stuff? It will take forever to clean up,”
He knelt down to get a better look at it, and realized that the muck seemed to be moving. In fact, it seemed to be trying to swallow the bottle of light, to crush the glass and get at the stuff inside.
“What the-” suddenly the mess lurched forward and clamped itself around Raki. Before he could scream, it began to envelope his head and he was forced to close his mouth for fear that it would quickly decide to take a detour down his throat. He couldn’t breath, and he could feel the thing squeezing down on him, the pressure on his lungs mounting, some of the stuff slowly filling up his ears and nostrils. He was choking.
It’s a Chu he realized suddenly. crap, crap, crap, CRAP! He knew that if he didn’t come back in the house soon, Darrel would come looking for him, but by then it would be too late, he would have choked to death. And he couldn’t call for help, couldn’t make the slightest noise to alert them of his plight.
He thought to use his boomerangs, but he couldn’t throw them, the Chu was slowly imbibing him and had already encroached his arms up to their elbows in its deadly surface tension. Not knowing what else to do, he began wildly hacking at it with his fins, using them more as makeshift swords then as boomerangs.
Habiki- Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night 
Habiki’s return to consciousness was abrupt at best. One moment, he was fighting with some sort of shaded figure, ready to take its knife in his clay body one last time, and the next, he was lying on his flayed back on a wooden floor.
Images and shapes seemed to swirl around him as a colossal headache set in. The rest of his body paralyzed, he shifted his eyes lazily in their sockets, trying to take it all in. He looked around, not recognizing a single face. There was a man there at the table, who seemed slightly familiar, but he couldn’t place him. They made strange noises at each other, noises he could make neither heads nor tails of.
Where was he? What were the sounds these creatures were making? Why was he in so much pain? He looked over and saw a women in chains on the chair. The site of her enraged him, for some reason. She was oddly familiar. Suddenly, in his mind’s eye, he saw the figure he’d been fighting burst from the shadows to attack him with its blade as he awkwardly made to block…and he saw the face of this woman, a horrible gleam in her eye in the eerie shadows cast by his light.
“RaaaARGH!” he roared, suddenly moving, his entire body aching with immeasurable pain. He clawed at the ground, trying to gain some kind of leverage, then pulled himself up and began to scream.
“ARAGHARGH!!! NnnH…Rrrr!!!” he looked at the faces, each of them shocked at his sudden disturbance, and he flared up in rage. What were these creatures? Were they going to attack him? What was going on?
Soon these questions gave way completely to pure, animal rage, and he pounded the table under his substantial fists, cracking it in two in the process. The walls seemed to be closing in on him. These walls, these WALLS!! They trapped him, confined him!
 “NNRREEEAAHCTHK!!!!” he yelled, a caged animal, lunging at the first person he saw, the Sheikah woman unconscious on the bench, who had harmed him. 
Kae Bryseis/Darrel's Hut/Day 2/Evening
Kae's eyes widened slightly when she heard Darrel's title. In her copious research periods, there were many different paradigms she'd covered, various styles and degrees of ability. There was a good reason that the magic she'd detected was off the scale. It was one of the more powerful wielders of the Art in Nora's library. And Polaris...her brother went on and on and on about a great Zora General when he discussed mixed unit tactics and amphibious assaults. 
Kae Bryseis was sitting in a room of living history, if her assumptions were correct. There was a good bit she was sure she couldn't make educated guesses on. She was hoping someday to have a place in these books, but for different reasons. Even so, she felt incredibly out of her league.
She extended her hand to Darrel and looked a little nervous. 
"Kae Bryseis, fifth generation Sheikah, descendant of Tirian the Unyielding. I am a fortune teller in training under Nora Larisse; but I don't quite know where to start my explanation of how I found my calling in the Art. My family is normally not known for magick use; my brother Jaden and myself were born with it but it was very crude and unrefined."
Looking over at Lynn, she conducted as good of an introduction as she was able.
"Lynn Annei, very strong-willed soldier of my people. She's been driving me to get better in the physical fitness department as well as non-magical combat. I'd trust her with my life; before we got down to the overlook we were attacked by a treasonous unit of soldiers. Great woman if you're on her side. If you're not, she's quite...cold."
"If he is who I think he is, you were right to stop fighting. He could have killed the three of you easily."
Kae reached into her pack and pulled out one of her grimoires, setting it on the table. It was thick-bound in leather with the Sheikah Crest on both covers and a Triforce along the bridge. It even had a belt clip and locking clasp on the front to protect it should she decide to carry it outside the satchel.
"My school of the Art is a bit uncommon, if not downright rare due to its taxing effects on the body. I swore a pact to the Three to defend Hyrule, and was then subject to the Laws of Nayru and such. The Goddesses' subordinates govern my power. It is the very essence used to create our world; I get a set amount each day. If it is overused or used improperly, they take my life force as a penance. Another reason why I need to get in shape." 
Polaris/ Darrels Hut/ Second Night
The Sword of the Sunrise...Darrel Mytura...this man, truly was as much a relic, probably even moreso than Polaris himself...he was however, more, ehh...up to date? With his artes of war, Polaris had been rusty, had even joked about the possibility of his own demise during their altercation, he now knew that possibility would've been very real, if death could claim him. Even at the height of his power, Darrel would've proved a more than adequate foe.
After a brief intoduction of both herself and Lynn; Kae, who had seemingly become a bit flustered and self concious fell silent, and in doing so, gave the floor to Polaris.
"I...what the hell!?!"
The golem, who, just a few moments ago had been out cold and in the floor, had leapt up from his resting place, and, with primal cries of rage, he...it? Whatever, dove for the still unconcious Lynn.
In what was purely, a knee jerk reaction, Polaris directed a glacial blast at the the shins of the clay man, in hopes of bringing him to the floor, with a flip of his wrist, two more arctics jets left his palm, with the intent of binding his hands, if and hopefully when, he fell.
 "Not too bright ehh? Whatever made you think that?" 
Kae Bryseis/Darrel's Hut/Evening/Night 2
She heard a crash, and before she could react, Polaris attempted to contain the threat. Kae knew very well that if she channeled any more offensive power that night she'd run the risk of harming herself again, but she threw herself in a knee-jerk reaction between the construct and the bench, displaying a hastily-summoned shard between her cupped hands.
From this vantage, she saw the construct's young caretaker outside in obvious trouble, struggling with something choking him out. It appeared as though he tried to fight it off, but now whatever it was had gotten the better of the Zora juvenile. She sent the shard hurtling outside, and it fired small jolts at the glob of goo. After it had done its work, the shard stayed there watching guard over the kid. 
A few moments after it stopped firing, the conjured item began to branch out, turning into a transparent cat. Its skeleton looked as though it was made of interconnected stars, and its eyes shimmered in the twilight. The shard had become semi-autonomous so as to lessen the stress on Kae...and it was from the Felis Constellation. It mewed softly and began to purr as it walked around the child in a circle; its summoner did not notice it due to diverted attention.
Kae was ready to take a heavy blow for her partner if need be, but she silently hoped that Polaris' ice lances would do the trick. Her eyes were glowing as a couple bloody tears tracked down her cheeks; another warning backlash. She didn't dare use any more power this night as she was pushing it badly enough. It was defensive casting, and she wondered why the burning in her eyes did not stop. 
"Construct, your caretaker would not approve of your actions. Fate has called you to a higher purpose...cease your hostilities; allow yourself to be mended."
 She stayed in a defensive stance, ready to take the brunt of anything should it be in Lynn's direction. Her voice was oddly affected by the channeling and had a wispy undertone to it, but she was used to some of these strings attached to overuse. Any more and she'd be winded, and shortly after, unconscious. Luckily for her, the shard was not feeding from her life force. 
IC:
Raki - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night 
He hacked wildly at the Chu with his fins. They were by no means sharp, and in fact they were still a bit mushy, but for a creature such as a Chu, it was enough. He swung towards his own body, slicing slowly through the slime as he beat his chest with the swords like a gorilla.
Slowly he broke free of the thing, getting one arm out to hack at it. He was exhausted, but he kept going.
Still, it soon became apparent that the creature was too much for him. Every time he cut it, it seemed to simply reform and wrap itself around him again…how do you fight something that cutting in half doesn’t even deter?
Finally he was overwhelmed, certain that this was the end, when suddenly a bright streak of purple light slashed through the Chu and released him.
Raki collapsed on his knees. He coughed, and his nostrils burned from the liquid from the Chu that had violently entered them. His entire body was covered in slime. He replaced his “swords” in their sockets, instantly becoming normal fins again, and he felt a peculiar sensation as feeling returned to them, a stinging. His fins, moments ago completely separate from him, now ached from the “battle”…it really had been far too soon to use them. He worried that he might have stunted his own development permanently. 
He heard a strange mewing, and started quickly. His eyes widened as he saw a ghost-like skeletal cat made of stars. It seemed to be circling him, guarding him. He looked into the house and saw the Sheikah magic user inside, her palm facing him…he’d have to thank her later. But what shocked him the most was the sight of Habiki, gone mad, thrashing about the room, the table smashed in half as he roared like a wild beast.
Habiki - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
Habiki lunged for his helpless chained victim, screaming, when suddenly ice ensnared his legs and he fell to the ground.
“RAAAGH!” he roared, pounding the ground angrily with his fists, which soon too were bound by ice. He struggled to his feet in his bonds, flailing madly, when the spellcaster suddenly stepped between him and the other woman.
She shot a strange shard out of her hand in some unknown direction, and Habiki tried to attack her, only ending up on his knees again thanks to his bonds of ice. He bellowed as he forced his arms apart, shattering the frozen cuffs, and stood up to charge her. Suddenly she made those strange noises again. He stopped, confused and angry…but the diplomatic words seemed to tame him...or maybe it was simply her voice that comforted him. After a moment they seemed to focus, becoming coherent again, taking on meaning beyond mere sound.
“Brib a Arishnam ehretsam ekreed - your actions. Fate has called you to a higher purpose...cease your hostilities; allow yourself to be mended.”
He raised his fist above his head hesitantly, hovering there for a moment, his anger dissipating yet still lingering. And then he looked over as Raki entered the room, a strange feline standing next to him. He was holding back tears.
“Habiki, why are you doing this? Stop it!”
Habiki looked at his fist as if seeing it for the first time, then let it drop to his side. His eyes wandered around the room at the chaos he had caused, the table and the glasses that had lain on it shattered, ale spilled on the floor. It was as if stumbling upon a room that somebody else had trashed.
He grabbed his head in his hands, apparently cradling a massive headache, before standing up again and rubbing his temples as if trying to focus.
He addressed the room.
“Habiki sorry. Habiki wake up, not know where be, strange place, Habiki hurt, Habiki fraigh-tenned.”
He looked over at Lynn, and winced. He didn’t like her.
He sat down on the floor, his legs still bound with ice, as the others stared at him. He smiled.
 “Who hungry? Has fish!” 
Darrel Mytura - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
Darrel winced when Habiki suddenly turned wild, as though he were a dog that suddenly decided to turn and bite its master. He moved to intervene but Polaris and Kae already had the matter well in hand, and upon Raki's return the clay puppet quickly seemed to regain its sense of self. He was thankful that the Sheikah harlot was still unconscious.
"Perhaps food might not be a bad idea." he muttered, wishing his table hadn't been destroyed just moments ago. Still, they had much to discuss and the fight with one time Commander Polaris had made him hungry, even if it had taken until the mention of food to realize it.
However, something that Kae had said earlier was gnawing at the back of his mind. What had she indicated her reason for coming had been...?
Telmar. They were looking for Telmar.
 "You mentioned that you and your companions were traveling north looking for a 'flame caster' as you called him? Do you have any details as to who you're following or are you just blindly putting the noose around your necks?" he asked, looking from the young Sheikah to the aged Zora and back. "I believe I know the one you seek, and I do so hope you know what you're getting into." 
Night 2/Darrel's Hut/Lynn Annei
With a start, Lynn awoke to a roaring noise. Her head throbbed. She had no idea where she was. This wasn't her bed. Not her house. She cast her gaze around, confused. There, Kae. What was she doing here? And that, a Zora? No, Polaris! And the noise came from the Twili abomination. She remembered it all now. Mostly. The fight, for sure. Not how she had been rendered unconscious or how she had come to be chained to this bench.
Lynn took a quick assessment of the roomPolaris had the golem shackled to the floor with ice manacles over the hands and feet, and Kae was in her caster's stance, it seemed, ready to take out any who would make aggressive movement. Lynn opened her mouth to speak in praise of her allies.
The golem broke its icy shackles, and made ready to break the bonds on its feet as well. Lynn changed her words in her mind, ready to shout warning, when Kae interrupted with her voice.
"Construct, your caretaker would not approve of your actions. Fate has called you to a higher purpose...cease your hostilities; allow yourself to be mended."
Mended? Come now, Kae... what the hell are you talking about?
A child Zora came in from outside, and spoke to the monstrosity. “Habiki, why are you doing this? Stop it!”
Habiki? The mage's name...?
"Who hungry? Has fish!"
It speaks? Now Lynn was confused into silence, unsure what had transpired while she was out, and what the current state of affairs was in the room. Perhaps Kae and Polaris did have control of the situation, and were brokering a surrender of the Invading troops. True enough, the information that could be gathered from a defector, especially a mage with intimate knowledge of Interloper magic, would be a great asset. Again she mentally marked a bit of praise for her apprentice.
The Hylian professed agreement to the idea of food, and spoke again after a brief, almost introspective pause.
"You mentioned that you and your companions were traveling north looking for a 'flame caster' as you called him? Do you have any details as to who you're following or are you just blindly putting the noose around your necks? I believe I know the one you seek, and I do so hope you know what you're getting into."
Lynn decided then would be a good time to reveal she was aware, and spoke up. "As of now, we are gathering information. If you'd be so kind as to undo these chains, perhaps we can discuss matters a bit more comfortably.
 "But first, I think we should negotiate your surrender to Hyrule and the fate of this... golem and its master." 
Kae Bryseis/Darrel's Hut/Evening/Day 2
Kae had a lot going on at once, and she was fighting off sensory overload.
"Lynn, I've got it under control. Just sit tight, we're going to get out of this. No one has to surrender here. The construct was abandoned; this Zora child is taking care of it. Darrel here is going to help them find a way to really take it to the Twili in Ordon. After what I've determined, I have no reason to believe that they are lying; this coming from someone who is in the business of sifting out truth from fiction. Neutral party leaning toward our side. This scenario has changed a lot since you were rendered out cold. I don't blame you at first glance though, I thought it was an enemy as well. We were all confused to hell and back."
She picked up her grimoire off the floor, clipped it to her belt, and took perspective of the situation...and an Aspect of Felis was accompanying the Zora Child.
"Felis Minor...Nora was right...oh, young one, are you alright? Food sounds spectacular about now..."
Kae looked even more disturbed at the sight of the celestial cat. She'd never had a Shard take on a semi-autonomous Aspect, but she was glad that it did. There was simply too much happening for her to keep track of. Her eyes were still aglow, but the bloody tears stopped. That burning feeling was still there though; looking at the cat soothed the pain somewhat.
We will speak later when you rest, young Servant. I will watch over this place until things settle down. Your friend is...going to need a diplomacy lesson...
It didn't speak audibly, but it did the same mind-speak that Nora used. The voice was light and graceful, but she wasn't sure what the cat was doing.
Turning to look at her partner on the bench, she wasn't sure if it was the best idea, but she had to ask.
"Is there a possibility that my partner could be unfettered? I'll do my best to make sure no more kinetics occur." 
Darrel Mytura - Home Overlooking Zora's River - Second Night
"That would be excellent, thank you." Darrel muttered to Kae in reference to the kinetics. She seemed such an innocent young lady, the perfect guise for such a potentially dangerous creature. Then he turned to the bound Sheikah.
"I think you should hold your tongue until I'm finished speaking, patiently and respectfully, to your compatriots." Darrel replied coldly, not even looking over at the bound Sheikah that decorated his bench. "This golem has no master. Had you not forced him to render you unconscious you might have learned that he is not your typical Interloper puppet. He'll not be surrendered to a thoughtless butcher such as yourself, nor will I."
Darrel's eyes once again flickered from Kae's face to Polaris'. They seemed intelligent, ruled by reason rather than passion. The other, however, seemed an entirely different story, a mindless drone of the Hylian ranks.
"I will give you information on the one you seek, though, if you act with one tenth the honor that your ancestors possessed. I will unbind you, allow you freedom. If you compose yourself, my rather unconventional friend there may even allow you some of the fish that he has so generously offered the rest of us here. Carry yourself with dignity and due deference in my home and we'll have no further issue for the time being, and further more, I'll tell you what you need to know.
 "If you want to survive the coming encounter." 
Raki - Darrel's Hut - Second Night
Raki listened as the assassin started making demands of surrender while chained up to a bench, and stifled a laugh.
After Kae and Darrel had both finished speaking, Raki cut in, trying to get a handle on what could possibly be going through “Lynn’s” mind.
“Why on earth would we ‘surrender’ when we haven’t done anything? You ambushed us, remember?” 
He shook his head.
“So let me get this straight. You come across a long-standing home that has been here since years before the war, you see a young hermit, a little boy of the native race, and a strange looking man, all sitting around a table and making polite discussion while sipping ale, and just because one of them happens to be made of clay, your first thought is ‘Traitors who must be killed?’ Not to be impolite ma’am, but are you stupid, or just incredibly paranoid?”
He scoffed at her. “Surrender?! Not likely! The only one who commited an act of treason against Hyrule tonight was YOU, you psychotic woman! You attacked the messenger of a Light Spirit on a mission to protect your own troops, a Light Warrior of an ancient order, and a boy who’s never seen battle or even left the lake before today. Let you go? You deserve those chains, and possibly a padded cell to go with them. The battle was OVER, Habiki would have given you no more trouble, and yet you BUTCHERED HIM!!!”
Raki’s hands had closed into fists, and he was shaking with rage, trying desperately not to start screaming. He turned to Darrel.
“She deserves those chains Darrel, she deserves them! Don’t even think about letting her up! The moment she’s let go she’ll just draw her blade on us again!...just let her friends deal with her when they go to leave, please.”
Suddenly his voice grew quiet, almost a whisper.
 "Just let her be," he pleaded, not wanting another fight to break out. 
Polaris/ Darrels Hut/ Second Night
Diplomacy wasn't necessarily Polaris' strongpoint, but he'd held his tongue long enough, it was time to intervene.
Starting with, the most volatile of the lot, Polaris addressed Lynn first.
"Lynn, I undrstand that you're quite motivated and driven to fulfill the task with which you've been set, but I ask you to listen to reason. These are no traitors, of that I am sure, although he is of interloper design, Habiki does ot seem to be under their control. And Darrel has been a defender of Hyrule for many years, I do not believe he is capable of treachery. He also intends to, at the very least, provide us with information that could prove vital to the task ahead.
With a measured amount of authority in his voice Polaris turned to the youg Zora.
"Raki, to be upset is quite understandable, but Kae and I have already explained the misunderstanding and appologized for acting without thought. Lynn may come off as brash and presumptive, but those character flaws do not make her a bad person, her intentions are good. I do have to ask you though, has Madam Loa become so lax in her education of the Zora younglings that she no longer teaches the value of understanding and respect? You may not respect Lynn, Kae or myself, but you've got to understand that we made a mmistake and are attempting to correct it."
Pausing to let his words take effect.
 "Darrel, I've been around Hyrule for a long, long time, and although I don't recall with any of them, I've heard stories of a few pyrokinetics over the years, if you are familiar with the one we seek, any information and or assistance you could provide would be appreciated." 
[b]Lynn Annei/Darrel's Hut/Night 2[/b]
Lynn glared at the Zora child, ready to lash out if not for the chains around her body. But Polaris was right. They needed to work together. For now.
"Fine." she spit out, and then sighed.
"Undo these chains. Please. In the morning, though, I want everyone to make way for Castle Town. This is over my head now. We need to see High Command about... him."
She cast a brief glare at the golem, Habiki. That would need to be investigated, that much was for certain.
"Once High Command is appraised of the situation, they can make the decisions on what can, and will, happen from there. If you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear.
 "And can we find my swords, as well? I believe they are still somewhere outside." 
Night 2/Darrel's Hut/Raki
Raki listened as Polaris scolded him. He admired Polaris, his parents had told him stories about the Great Commander who had fought bravely in so many battles, perhaps one of the few Zora families who still spoke favorably of the ex-commander.
That was why his words stung so much.
“I do have to ask you though, has Madam Loa become so lax in her education of the Zora younglings that she no longer teaches the value of understanding and respect?”
Raki was so stunned that he simply stood there with his mouth open as his hero turned to Darrel and began asking questions about the fire user. Finally he found his voice.
“S-she—she teaches us those things, she does!” His lip quivered as tears welled up in his onyx black eyes, the surface of the tears making it seem as if his eyes were bulging from his head. Suddenly his voice grew bitter, choked with anger. 
“I just don’t know how to extend them to someone who’d put a sword unthinkingly in a man’s back and call herself the hero.”
He was about to continue, when he saw the stern faces surrounding him. He wanted to say that Polaris treated him like a disrespectful child, rather than simply a friend sticking up for his allies, that if he were an adult he wouldn’t dream of such feeble excuses. He wanted to call him on his condescension. This wasn’t a matter of respecting his elders or acting his age, this woman tried to kill them…didn’t that matter at all?
But he didn’t say it. He held his tongue. He saw the faces around him, all wanting diplomacy and peace, and he realized he was the obstacle now. Yes, he was “right”, he was sure he was right, this woman had not earned his respect, and that was what mattered, not her status as his “elder”…but pursuing the matter now would only cause problems. Better to placate her and make her an ally, than call her on her crimes and drive her to the sword again.
But it wasn’t fair, he thought. It just wasn’t fair that his hero scold him while cavalierly defending their attacker as if she was one of his poker-buddies.
He clenched his fists again, and then simply mumbled under his breath.
“Fine…I’m not apologizing, but I am finished.”
The moment the words were out of his mouth it was like a load was lifted off his shoulders. He still thought this woman had gotten off too easy, but now he thought about it for a second, and realized that there were soldiers flitting about, to and fro, all about the country. Friendly fire was going to happen, these misunderstandings were going to happen, and even if they were made rashly it didn’t make the attacker evil. It was hard to imagine he was judging a backstabber too harshly, but he realized suddenly that it was very possible he was. She was a soldier, perhaps when she was occupied by something other than war she was a quite agreeable person. 
It shouldn’t excuse her actions though he thought to himself, but finally let it go.
“Alright, I’ll get to preparing the fish,” he said, reaching for his pack. He listened as Lynn spoke of taking them before High Command, wary of agreeing, but open to compromise. 
== Not Enough Talking ==
Kae Bryseis/Darrel's Hut/Evening/Day 2
Taking a few steps back from the situation, Kae didn't say much during the final agreements. She was just glad there was no more fighting, but she was also confused as to why the Felis Aspect was just sitting there. Sure, on the rare occasions they make their way to our plane they do sometimes get curious. From what Kae knew of them, most were very chatty. This would prove to be another one of those cases, but only she could hear him.
I have a name, Kae. You would not be able to pronounce it...just call me Felis. I am here to guard you in your slumber; to escort your consciousness to the Council of Nayru. Her subordinates wish to discuss much with you this evening. But I will help where I can. Just don't ask me to catch mice like your Master did. She made too many stereotypical assessments of our kind. We take on these forms in honor of our Parent Constellations, yes? This does not make us as your animals are. Some of us are older than your planet.
Kae tried to communicate with it while the others were talking. She never thought she'd ever meet one of these, let alone have a chance to speak with it.
"Honored Felis, I welcome you to Hyrule. May I inquire as to why the Councilors wish to speak with me?"
You are not in trouble at all! I cannot tell you more at this time, but they would not summon you unless they were displeased. If they didn't approve of your actions, they'd just smite you where you stood. A scholar of your caliber would know this already, young and pretty Kae Bryseis. Just wait and see what happens!
She blushed a bit at Felis' remarks, then returned her focus to the conversation at hand. A compromise was struck, and a trip to Castle Town was scheduled. Kae hadn't been there in a good while. Last she went, her brother was in company. This made her a bit sad, as she missed him dearly.
Hunger pangs reminded Kae that she hadn't eaten a proper meal all day, and it showed. Audible stomach grumbling caused a bit more embarrassment than she'd have cared for.
Felis walked over to the door, looked outside, then headed to Lynn's bench. He leapt up to her feet and perched himself there, curling up. For not having proper cat mannerisms, he sure sold the acting. Kae tried to make herself useful while food was on its way. Part of this reasoning was to avoid more of those loud grumbles thanks to how good it smelled inside. 
"I could go look for the weapons; my Attunement grants me a moderate degree of night vision."
"Someone's overdoing it again..."
"My mind is not a tavern! If you all wish to discuss things in a telepathic manner, please keep it out of my head for a little while...too much thought noise. Master, Felis, I love you all dearly, but I need to prepare for tonight's meeting. Some night air will do nicely."
Kae excused herself and tried to meditate on the go. Today really had taxed her to the limits. She wanted to scream out of frustration, but that would be horrid form. In between looking out for Chus and other things that like to come out at night, she was able to remember where Habiki and Lynn engaged in melee. However, the matte coating Lynn put on her blades made them rather hard to locate.
Nothing in the water at surface glance. After a few minutes, she managed to track down most of the missing arms. It'd require better lighting to find more. She bundled up the blades in her cloak and came back inside, looking hungrier than she was before the search. 
Darrel Mytura - Darrel's Home - Second Night
"High Command?" Darrel mumbled quietly, stroking his chin for a moment. The plenipotentiary had informed him some time ago of an old acquaintance taking up a position of note within the Hylian military heirarchy. "Yes that seems a perfect plan. Why don't we go and have a little talk with the... Chief Military Adviser. I think he'll be able to straighten you out just fine."
Phoenix, the Oni warrior. Long time friend or ally of the paladin, Seishi Ma. It had been a long time, centuries even, since last they'd met. But Phoenix would recognize him, Darrel was sure of it.
With a flick of his wrist a small bolt of energy discharged from his fingertips, immediately burning through the chains that had bound the aggressive Sheikah, Lynn. He didn't like letting her loose in his house but they'd reached the point where he either completely alienated her and made her a permanent enemy or he forgave, in some small part at least, her transgression against him. Then he turned to Polaris.
"I can tell you enough to keep you alive, I think." How familiar this felt. Over centuries, time and again Telmar had become his responsibility. How many battles they'd fought, the memories flooded through him. His fists clenched. "His powers, though magically instilled, are not magical in origin, but psionic. That means that typical elemental defenses, almost always magic based in my experience, will be less effective. Do not think, though, that because his abilities aren't magic that they are somehow less potent. I've seen him do truly terrible things.
"His powers aren't what make him the most dangerous though. It's his personality, his attitudes, his disordered mind. This foe is violent and unpredictable by design, and unlike most possessors of great power he does not neglect the physical. He's absolutely lethal, a monster designed to kill, a monster who revels in it."
So many people he'd killed. Until the sorcerer had devised a method of control Telmar's reign of terror had been nearly unrivaled. He'd killed Generals. He'd killed Kings.
He'd killed Helen.
"I urge extreme caution. Stay prepared. Do not fall into a preset plan of attack, he delights in making plans and tactics obsolete, and he has the range of abilities to do so." 
Night 2/Darrel's Hut/Raki
Raki reached into his pack, rummaging through his belongings for the fish. Pulling it from his satchel, he sighed when he realized that the foil was covered in slimy green Chu-jelly.
“Thank goddess I wrapped this stuff, huh?” he said to Polaris, and giggled. He looked down and realized that he too was covered in the slime from when the Chu had engulfed his body. 
“I guess I better go wash my hands first.” He stepped over to the sink and began to rinse his arms and legs, not at all squeamish of the slime, but knowing no one there would enjoy the taste of Chu…he’d learned that the hard way. 
Some if it was coming out of the sockets where his fins rested, along with that sickly pus from when he had removed them. The crease where his fins attached was clearly visible and swollen…though normally, it should be almost indistinguishable. Had he possibly stunted their development into zorangs forever? His fins ached. But even as he stared at them, he saw the Chu jelly recede into the sockets and felt a strange buzz in his veins, almost a light-headedness as it entered his blood stream.
Crap, that’s not good. he thought. It’s probably going to get infected.
Kae had left the room, seemingly flustered by all the commotion.
“Hey Habiki, can you get me the-” he was about to say fish, when he realized it was sitting on the counter next to him. “Never mind, I got it, I’m such a ditz sometimes.” he laughed.
Once he was all washed up, he carefully removed the foil, taking care not to spill any Chu jelly on the fish. He threw away several of the foils, then walked over to Habiki, and whispered to him, 
“Hey buddy, do you think you could possibly start a fire with that light of yours? I think it would help to impress that Lynn lady, and we want her impressed to keep things running smoothly.” 
Suddenly realizing how Habiki would interpret his words, he quickly added, “Under the stove I mean. A flame under the stove.” He shuddered at the thought of Habiki lighting the house on fire. “Not yet, wait here, I’ll go get some fire-wood.”
He went back to the sink to throw away the foil he had missed, only to find there wasn’t one. That’s strange, I could have sworn I hadn’t thrown them all away yet.
Shrugging, he headed for the door, but not before seeing Kae’s spellbook. He picked it up and looked at it, intrigued. It looked to be pretty complicated. So “Kae” is a scholar, I take it. He thought of his own books in his pack, biology books, a very different study, but they were both scholars. Maybe these people weren’t so barbaric after all.
 He returned to the task at hand. “Hey guys, I’m going out to get some fire-wood, can someone prepare the fish for me?” he said before stepping outside. 
Polaris/ Darrel's Hut/ Second Night
Lynn reluctantly agreed to stand down and behave as long as her shackles were removed. Of course, typical of her personality, she did not agree to this without making a few demands of her own. At least for the time being, she seemed agreeable.
As for Raki, Polaris' ability to understand the young ones doubt in his comrade and to actually sympathize with the child, were leagues apart. Polaris honestly didn't care that he was on the verge of tears, all that he truly wanted was for Raki to understand that Lynn, wasn't going to hurt him or Habiki again, she had given her word, and one thing she was not is a liar.
It appeared that, that realization had finally struck him and Polaris did want Raki to know that he wasn't being scolded for being young and he wasn't unliked. Quite the contrary, Polaris admired the bravery required to undertake such a task at his age. But Raki needed to learn how to control his emotions, his anger towards Lynn, just as her insistence that anyone accompanying the interloper creation was guilty of treachery was doing nothing to promote diplomacy or progress, only hampering their respective quests. At the rate they'd been moving, the war would've ended before they quit bickering long enough to leave Darrel's hut, let alone do anything of meaning. 
As Raki hurried off to prepare a meal and Kae exited to gather Lynn's belongings, Darrel, Polaris and the newly unbound Lynn, were left to discuss the matter of the fire mage...who after listening to Darrel for sometime, turned out not to be a true mage, but something altogether different. Darrel spoke as if he were more than just and acquainted with the man, his voice echoed with the kind of respect and pure, unadulterated hatred that only came with an intimate familiarity.
After Darrel finished speaking, Polaris gathered his thoughts before commenting.
"You speak not only of his power, but of his character, and personality traits as if you've known him for quite some time. This first hand knowledge wouldn't happen to extend to possible weaknesses? Or should we...rather I, resign myself to merely surviving?" 
 As Kae rejoined the group, Polaris quipped, "No matter the outcome of our meeting, even if it comes to blows, my "survival" is not in question. That's not to say I'm sure I can defeat him, just that...I'm fairly positive that I'll be around afterwards to tell the tale of our encounter." 
Night 3/Darrel's Hut/Lynn Annei
As the chains fell away from her, Lynn spun and sat up on the bench, rubbing her arms and legs where the metal had been a bit tighter. She flexed her fingers, helping to get the blood flow back to her extremities, and listened as the conversation continued around her. She accepted her weapons from Kae with a grateful nod, and only a small amount of hostility and disfavor.
"Can someone prepare the fish for me?"
Lynn turned toward the young Zora, who was looking a bit off, perhaps ill. She shrugged, and lifted herself from the bench. It was a fairly nice sized fish, and she was impressed despite herself, even knowing how at home in the water the Zora people were. She flipped a knife out of one of her belt pouches and began to slice away the scales and other inedible portions of the fish. For the briefest second she considered poisoning the fish with a sedative, but discarded the idea as quickly at it came.
No need to re-open hostilities now that they have agreed to come to Castle Town. Though I will need to keep an eye on them during the trip, just in case they attempt anything to escape their word.
Once the fish was fully cut into serviceable portions she cleaned the knife blade and stored it once more on her belt. She turned back to her bench and took a seat again.
 "I think perhaps after this meal we should rest. It is not a long journey to Castle Town, but I would like to leave early that we may arrive as soon as possible. I think that this matter with... 'Habiki' now takes precedence over this 'Isaac' character. At least until I get orders otherwise, I am deeming it more important." 
Darrel Mytura - Darrel's Cabin - Second Night
"You should just allow us to be about our business and return to your own. Habiki is no threat to you. Isaac is." Darrel asserted, preparing the fire so that they could cook their fish. He could understand their reluctance to believe how bad Telmar was, he and Moran had undertaken a long time ago to introduce methods of control and behavior modification into his every day life. The plenipotentiary, the pariah, they were parts of a conditioning model designed by Moran to curb the pyro's worst impulses. They'd been surprisingly effective in discouraging the kind of grandiose violence that Telmar had always been known for. 
Darrel had watched and waited over the years. What he'd seen hadn't been a man whose attitudes were changing. What he'd seen was a caged beast, one that was stalking the bars of his cell, watching and waiting for a weakness that he could exploit.
"But if it will put an end to this nonsense then let's eat, rest, and hit the road.
"Take nothing for granted, Polaris. I knew a beautiful and powerful woman, long ago, who believed similar." he took a deep breath, he hadn't spoken of this in so long, it hurt his heart to even consider giving it voice. "She slighted Telmar and he orchestrated her murder."
He blinked back the tears that threatened to overtake him, his jaw muscles flexed.
 "I know that he's not wild about water and ice, but insofar as his power is not magical in origin it will not cause him actual physical or spiritual harm over and above what it would to a typical Hylian." he tried to conjure up all of the information he'd gathered about Telmar's peculiar abilities over the ages. "This may sound extremely backwards but fighting him one on one is your safest bet. He'll be eager to fight you especially Polaris, given your reputation, but should the rest of you threaten to interfere he will invoke certain aspects of himself that you would rather not face. He might do it anyway, I can't promise that he won't, but the likelihood will be much less if you come at him one at a time." 
Kae Bryseis/Darrel's Hut/Evening/Day 2
She tried to use logical analysis to better understand this enemy, but nothing would make sense. One on one? Something that exists outside her scope? Kae doubted her ability should it come down to her against this pyromaniac anomaly. Visions of her death flooded her mind momentarily until Nora shook her out of it from afar.
"I didn't set up camp inside your head to spy on your every move. But if you keep thinking like that, you are dead before you lift your weapon."
Can't be counterspelled. Can't be nuked with moonfire. He was using something other than magic that she didn't quite understand. There was very little in her books about these kinds of individuals. All she knew was that they were not to be engaged with the skill she had. And Kae was quite glad this information was now available. This calculated risk seemed to pay off more and more.
But what were these aspects that spawn? This man seemed like a life's burden to Darrel. She felt the strings of fate plucking in a cacaphony. Putting an end to Telmar would mend hearts. Right fate's path. It had to be done, but it was not her place initially. It would fall to Polaris. A classic battle of element-type. An icy legend her brother bragged about versus a chaotic infernal vortex.
"Goddesses, if there is any way you can better prepare me for what is ahead, please do something. I am over my head."
While it didn't look like she whispered up a prayer, Kae put a fair amount of soul's passion into it. It sounded like a sigh while she was rubbing her forehead. 
She felt something tugging at her bootlace; it was the cat. After it got her attention, it leapt up into her lap where she started to scratch it behind the ear.
"What do these undesirable aspects consist of? Best to be prepared for anything, even if no plan truly can survive first contact."
 Best not to explore what was outside the scope just yet. However, Kae was learning quickly that those books she slaved over did not have all the answers. Some mysteries simply had to be learned through life experience. 
Polaris/ Darrels Hut/ Second Night
"...Isaac." He muttered to himself. Telmar, a name synonomous with chaos and a reign of terror that echoed loudly in Hyrules past. Polaris was going to have his hands full with this one. The lack of concentration that lead to the silly miscues which resulted in the injuries he suffered at Darrels hands would prove fatal if repeated with Isaac. Darrel was holding back, Kinslayer would not.
"I promise you Darrel, I'll not underestimate him, nor will I be as lackadaisical as I was earlier when you and I fought.
Now, thinking back to the blatantly obvious mistakes he'd made with Darrel, Polaris hoped his embarrassment did not show on his face.
 "It's funny, it would seem that the Goddesses, or some higher power, guided my steps this night and lead me directly to Kae and Lynn. When Isaac and I meet, as I now know we must, I asure you, I'll not pass the task off on my companions. The fight, at least in numbers, will be even." 
[b]Night 2/Darrel the Hutt/Lynn Annei[/b]
Lynn cursed under her breath. [i]Magic.[/i] It was everywhere these days, since the Interlopers began their invasion with their own magical prowess. The Crown was scrambling for its own mages to counter these demons. There was no escaping a jarring fact that finally had come to Lynn's attention: She was becoming obsolete. Elite soldiers, not matter how skilled, were useless if all they had was physical attributes. The ability to find over a hundred kill-points on a body in the middle of a melee was nothing when compared to someone who could fire off blast of energy from a distant hilltop and vaporize their foe before even within the distance of bows.
It was annoying, to say the least. And for Lynn, she thought it far too late to start learning. Kae had studied all her life with this stuff, and she was nothing compared to the likes of Polaris or this Darrel. It was frustrating.
"Nothing but a distraction." she muttered.
Perhaps Polaris was right. Perhaps it had been fate that had brought them altogether. A room of three, no, four counting the golem, magic users ready to ally with, to [i]save[/i], Hyrule. Yes, she'd have to talk to Kae about this once her friend healed from the battle-weary that beleaguered her after so much casting in a single evening. A fortune teller would know how to read such an intertwining of lives, no doubt.
[i]What place have I in this group? I cannot throw about magic as they do. I cannot lead them without their trust. I cannot aid them against a foe like Kinslayer...[/i]
Yes, [i]that[/i] name she knew. [i]That[/i] name sent a chill up her spine, and not the kind she enjoyed in the least.
"Damn it all..." She finally lifted her gaze. The Zora child was working near the stove. She raised her voice toward him. "Is the food ready, boy?"
She could tell he didn't like her, and she didn't much care for his opinion one way or the other. But she suspected that if she could turn his mind, she might go a long way to gaining Darrel's trust as well. The golem would be taken care of in Castle Town, and she had to make sure they made it there, not only to turn over the thing, but to report on her findings regarding the flame-user. Cooperation would be needed, no doubt.
She wanted to form a posse to hunt down Kinslayer. And if High Command cleared Darrel, she'd like for him to trust her enough to join the squad, alongside herself, Kae, and Polaris.
 And so she offered assistance to the Zora child, to show she was not some mindlessly devoted slave, but could use subterfuge and manipulation to her advantage, as well. "Do you need any help?" 
Raki Cestus/Darrel’s Hut/Night 2
As Raki went outside, he passed Kae, stepping back into the house with various weapons that Lynn had dropped in the skirmish.
Great, give her more weapons, he sighed, going back to his job of gathering firewood. 
For some reason, the wind outside seemed to be picking up...perhaps a storm was on its way?
His head still ached, and he was sure now that the Chu jelly was making him ill.
After he was done gathering the wood, he went inside and placed it under the stove, and Darrel lit the flames for him.
Then Darrel returned to the conversation, explaining the threat of this “Isaac Telmar”, this “Kinslayer”. Raki listened, his attention only half on the stove.
Suddenly the assassin spoke to him. “Is the food ready, boy? Do you need any help?"
“Yes, please, I could use all the help I can get. I’m no cook, and the last thing I want to do is ruin such a prized Hylian Loach.” He emphasized the word loach, letting them know if it was prepared properly they were in for a real treat.
As Lynn stepped up to help with the cooking, Raki tried to join in the conversation. Habiki was merely sitting on the floor, apparently listening to everyone else talk (as if he could understand what they were saying anyways).
“So Darrel, if you know this Isaac guy so well, and you’re so powerful, why can’t you just stop him yourself?” 
Darrel Mytura - Darrel's Cabin - Second Night
"There is a side of his personality that comes from whence his powers came." He answered Kae, trying to read her face to judge her thoughts. It had been some time since he'd attempted to read people, to understand them. "It's not exactly a separate personality, but that's what it borders on. He calls himself Kinslayer, and when you here that name leave his lips you know that his powers have reached their apex. When he calls himself Kinslayer, you're in grave danger."
“So Darrel, if you know this Isaac guy so well, and you’re so powerful, why can’t you just stop him yourself?” Raki asked. Darrel could feel his face fall slightly.
 "He and I share a very complicated history. I have gone after him, several times in fact. At least twice he's almost killed me. Finally a... third party came up with an idea to tame him. I never believed it could work, but he kept his head down for a long time. I should have known it wouldn't last." 
Kae Bryseis/Darrel the Hutt/Evening/Night 2
How far are you willing to go to stop Kinslayer? It may depend on you. If Polaris and Lynn fall, you will be the last line of defense.
Whoever said that, whatever it takes. Even if it means sacrificing myself. After what I have heard, I believe he is one of the biggest threats to our realm. Jaden can handle the Twili wherever he is. This burden is mine, shared with my partners.
You heard Darrel. He's killed foes much more powerful than you'll ever be.
I have appealed to Nayru for more. If she believes it to be just, then I may not be as worthless as you think, mysterious being.
Keep your head on straight. You'll be hearing from me again.
Kae took it all in as she listened to Darrel's information. She also did what she could not to look uncouth as she devoured what would be her only meal of the night. And whoever the new visitor in her mind was, she didn't much like him. The whole ease of things entering that space she kept rather tidy as of late disturbed her greatly. Multiple personalities all imprisoned within one being. What could have happened to cause such an anomaly? 
"I must rest soon. Is any spare corner alright? It has been an extremely long day. This information will be put to good use; I believe High Command will approve of this course of action. Also, thank you for the hospitality. Undeserved, but still grateful, I am."
She yawned a bit, covering her mouth and taking a few gulps of water before taking a corner near the stove. Felis followed her over and curled up nearby.
 "I'll listen until I conk out. Just feeling quite fatigued..." 
Night 2/Darrel's Hut/Lynn Annei
Lynn quickly seared the fish. She was no chef, but she could cook. Such was a part of survival training. It was good enough for her and, honestly, she didn't care what the others thought of her culinary expertise, or lack thereof.
Kae attack the fish as soon as it was placed before her. Lynn felt a pang of pity for the girl. She had really been pushed to her limits today. It was regretful, yes, but it was also a learning experience. In the future she would have a better idea of how far she could push herself before reaching this breaking point. By the time Lynn had readied her own piece of the large loach, Kae was already done eating and curled up in the corner near the warmth of the stove.
"I think Kae has the right idea." she said.
She ate the fish, not even registering any flavor as she thought about all that happened and all that would happen. Rest was needed, certainly. She had a feeling tomorrow was going to be a big, long day. Not tonight, Lynn. That's all in the future. Tonight, just rest and prepare.
 And so she took to the floor beside Kae, and the softly burning stove, and closed her eyes to the world. 
Darrel Mytura - Darrel's Cabin - Second Night
"I think they have the right idea." he stated, rising from the chair he'd been sitting in, picking up his sword, which had been leaning against the arm, and headed into the back of the house where his bedroom was located. He fell onto the bed without even removing his clothes. He wouldn't have admitted it to all of his guests, but the fight with Polaris had worn him down significantly.
He was asleep before long.
When his eyes fluttered open there was sunlight filtering in through the curtained window that faced east. He realized that they needed to be going soon if they were to reach Castle Town with enough time to be about their errands.
 "Everybody wake up, it's time to be off!" he announced in a raised voice as he walked out, buckling his sword onto his belt and seizing the crimson and gold surcoat that hung next to his cabin door. He wanted this business to be under way, it had been some time since he'd been out in the world. When that thought crossed his mind he went back into his room and grabbed a large, hooded wool cloak that he would need to hide his identity in Castle Town. 
Raki Cestus and Habiki Sol/Morning 3/Outside Darrel’s Hut
Raki had awakened just before dawn so he could tend to the man of earth.
“Habiki, get up, I have an idea,” he had said, and the two had left the house as quietly as they could…which, for Habiki, was not very quiet, as he clumsily stumbled over the sleeping Sheikahs and nearly woke them up. His left arm had fallen off in the process, and Raki had to reattach it before they made their way outside of the hut.
Once they were out, Raki had taken some time in the burgeoning light to collect any of Lynn's weapons that Kae had failed to find, placing them by the front door. Then he gave Habiki careful instruction.
“Okay, so I want you to hold that orb out in front of you, and let the light hit it as the sun comes up.” and Habiki had done as he was told.
Raki thought this would be the best way to help treat Habiki’s afflictions, since he seemed to be powered by the sun (or more accurately, light itself)…what’s worse, his clay body seemed to block out a lot of the potential light he could absorb (a curious design oversight by his creators), so exposing it directly to the light would be very beneficial to his health.
Habiki seemed very pleased at the sensation as his spirit, cupped gently in his open hands, received all the warmth and nourishment the rising sun had to offer. His eyes, fogged over as they had been the previous morning until he saw the light, now seemed to clear, like a mist was dissipating in his head…though it was hard to tell, his eyes being carved out of marble and all.
Raki began to notice something strange as Habiki took a charge from the sun’s energy…his appearance seemed to be changing. The dark, pasty gray of his main body and the red of his replacement parts all seemed to fade ever so slightly, becoming a less aggressive, more natural tone. His wounds seemed to shrink a bit as well, and even his misshapen face seemed to right itself somewhat. It was subtle enough to almost be Raki’s imagination, but it was there.
The sun was up now, the sky was blue, and Habiki had a huge smile plastered on his face, his eyes closed, as he took it all into the little ball in his hands.
As Habiki continued to take in the light, Raki reached into his pack and took out a bottle containing some of the leftover grayish clay from their last operation, and another holding the red silt…he would only use the silt if he ran out of the “good” stuff, the mineral that most of Habiki’s body was made of.
Raki filled in the wounds that Lynn had made with her swords, and seeing the gash in Habiki’s torso, he eyed the ball of Light in Habiki’s hands for a moment. He’d realized by now that the stomach was the last place it was supposed to be, that it was meant to be in the empty spot he’d seen the other day in Habiki’s chest cavity. For a moment he considered opening Habiki up and placing it back where it belonged, but quickly thought better of it. 
He didn’t have the tools or time for such an operation. Besides, Habiki might need to defend himself at some point on the way, and if he couldn’t extract the ball, how would he use the powers he’d fought Lynn with last night? Plus, there would be no way for Habiki to charge up in the mornings over the next several days, and Raki was sure he needed that to survive.
After finishing up, Raki still had a bit of that black-ish earth left. He shut the jar, placing everything back in his pack, and stood up again. There were voices coming from inside the cabin. Everyone was just waking up.
“So just remember to do this every morning, Habiki, and you should be fine. We best be going inside, the others will be getting up by now, we don’t want to keep them waiting.”
“We go to Castle Town now? Meet em-poor-tent persons?”
“Yup, and after we get this straightened out, we’ll go see the Earth Mage to repair you, and head out on our mission.”
Habiki smiled, then swallowed the ball of light, turning to follow Raki back to the house. When they opened the door, they saw Darrel, throwing a wool cloak over himself 
Kae Bryseis/Dreamscape/Night/2nd-3rd Day
OOC: Long post is long!
As soon as Kae drifted off, she felt a weight fall from her. The body was in dire need of rest, but this wasn't any ordinary rest. It was the deepest sleep she'd ever experienced. But she wasn't truly asleep. Her spirit had been summoned to a Dreamscape Council by some of the very beings that supplied her energies. 
Looking down at her hands and feet as she was levitating, Kae realized she wasn't in flesh-form. It was a lot like the cat Aspect, who was strangely accompanying her. No words were spoken before her arrival in the middle of what appeared to be a large gilded triforce. Surrounded by what appeared to be outer space, a few of the servants led Kae to a desk. Another lady sat there; it was Nora. She'd been summoned too.
"This is not for any bad reason whatsoever. Free all worry from both of your minds."
Three celestial beings came into view. One was red, one green, and one blue. They sat under statues representing their respective Goddesses.
"We have summoned both of you here in response to an emergency. Well, several. There is no time for Nora's apprentice to be properly trained considering the danger Hyrule currently faces."
Kae couldn't say anything. Things were moving all too fast. Nora tried to get a word in edgewise but was quickly cut off.
"There are a few things that can be done. We have spent a good while considering our options, but we want to give both of you a proper opinion before hoisting something upon the young girl. Simply put, we need her. And we are very thankful that Nora Larisse has done a good job in her instruction."
Nora stood up and tried to object.
"She is not ready, you'll get her killed before her prime!"
"Nora, that is not correct. What we are offering is something different than death. She has sworn one pact already. If she wishes full mastery of the Art you two practice, one more pact is required. In turn, for your service, when your life comes to its natural end, you are offered a position in the service of Nayru."
"The Bryseis girl must swear a second pact to be a true guardian of the land. All interlopers and true individuals of abetment are to be vanquished in the name of the Three. This pact lasts until the end of the conflict, where we will review whether she keeps the abilities we choose to bestow."
She knew too well what this meant. There were inklings of it in her research and the sudden adept nature of her channeling. The fortune telling was a focus for the Art. And with what the Councilors were offering, Birthrights were not too far away. But why did the Three choose her family? Her parents had no magical aptitude. Then suddenly Jaden and Kae are gifted. 
Scion Kae Bryseis. There was a Celestial Infusion in her bloodline. Fate had marked her too, for a time where the land was in great peril. Jaden had a similar fate-mark...she didn't know what though.
"Your brother offered a prayer to us this night. He wished for you to be safe, and he meant it with all his being. Currently he is trapped behind enemy lines in Ordon, evading discovery. He will be able to hold out for a time. Do not worry about him so."
"Kae Bryseis, do you swear to the Councilors and the Three that you will defend Hyrule to your last breath regarding this conflict?"
It didn't take her long to accept this offer. The strings attached couldn't be as bad as they were with the First Pact. Sanity vs. Life Force depletion. It doesn't go beyond that.
"I swear to Nayru, Farore, and Din this evening that I will not falter in my pursuit of Hyrule's safety. Whatever Birthrights or Blessings you wish to bestow upon me I gladly accept, regardless of pain in the signing of this Pact."
Nora was silently shedding a few tears. Partially jealous, partially proud, and most certainly shocked. She'd been here before when entrusted with Kae's training. One pact she swore herself. Was she being relieved of this? Full Mastery bestowing was a clear sign of that.
"Then it is with Their honor we bestow upon you full mastery of the Art. Remember the laws of your paradigm. Hold to them. The penalty is far worse for those who are given more. We expect more from them. As for Birthrights, your conjured melee weapons will no longer require any help from us to hold in your hand and wield. You will also receive imparted knowledge on how to better use it. Not a master of melee of course, but you won't be flailing it around anymore. This is the Gift of Wisdom."
"The Seventh Essence will require less help from us to channel, considering the rotes you prefer to use. The same goes with your shard summonings. Do not overdo it. We will be much less kind to you now. This is the Gift of Power."
"Preterecognition. A danger sense. You will have a more refined one now. But this will not make up for your lack of battlefield exposure. You are on your own for that. But full abilities of a fortune teller are now yours. Use them to solidify your companions and their feelings. This is the Gift of Courage."
Kae felt her legs burning, but the pain wasn't physical. Constellations from the seasonal cusps began to be etched onto her Spirit Being. That would sure smart in the morning...
Nora kept encouraging her and saying how proud she was, and that she wouldn't stop offering advice. As far as she was concerned, this was still an apprenticeship based on years spent. 
 Her tongue was stilled as she felt her spirit being start to drift back to her body. As a Scion, a Chosen Messenger of the Goddesses. Suddenly, things got a lot more complicated for her. There was so much she didn't know about what just happened to her. One note was the only thing that stuck out. In certain times, heroes are needed. But heroes are not made as fine weaponry...or were they? A Divine Mandate was issued to her. If she failed in her mission, it would mean an agonizing second death. 
== Hut! ==
Kae Bryseis/Darrel the Hutt/Day 3/Morning
Time passed so quickly in the Dreamscape. A conference that maybe lasted thirty minutes (including the new tattoos) spanned the eight hours or so that her rest took. She may not have made any noises of pain as she slept, but when she woke, there were a few groans. Her legs felt as though they'd been flogged. No blood, but plenty of deep muscle pain. 
When Kae looked at her hands, she noticed her skin had turned a shade of deep olive. Very similar to her brother's. The mirror came out shortly thereafter. What she saw shocked her even more: Her eyes had a dim glow to them now, and her complexion was more pronounced. She was already quite attractive in a cute sort of way, but now she looked more like an adult rather than a young teen. The only thing she wished for was not gotten: her hair was still naturally curly to the point that it required braiding. However, today, as a part of the change, she left it free. 
Her clothing also had a slight change to it. Where it had been plain black leathers, it now had embossing of the Sheikah emblem on the chest and triforce crests on the hip areas of her pants. Another birthright? There was a note in her pack when she reached for her makeup kit. 
Apprentice, I have provided one other thing for you. And I shouldn't use that title for you anymore, Scion. But know that I still care for you with all that I have. Feel free to send your satchel back home. You can summon up anything inside it whenever you need. I've provided a safe place for it in my sanctum. You need to pack light, after all. 
With my Love - Nora''
After prepping everything, Kae cast the ritual of summoning on her satchel and cloak. Another guiltless rote. Was this all too good to be true?
She was up before Lynn too; another odd occurrence. Something was bothering her. A lot of somethings. She wouldn't have noticed this last night, and it seemed important enough to talk with her about it.
Darrel was already up and making arrangements to depart. Kae hoped no one noticed her just yet...she wanted to test out a few of those birthrights. Calling a sword to hand would create enough of a stir. So much to try, but no good opportunities to give anything a go. The extra perception was easy enough. No trying required there. Imparted knowledge had its advantage. 
It was too quiet to wake everyone else. Too peaceful. Moments like this were what Kae considered her "happy place." She'd crave them before too long. 
Was it a mistake to send her cloak back with the satchel? Kae never showed off her ink before, per se. But now that she had that whole Scion thing going on, she didn't care who knew it. The glowing eyes were going to cause enough strange looks anyway. 
 She decided to sit tight until Lynn woke up, living in the moment as long as possible. 
Polaris/ Darrels Hut/ Second Night
Dinner was uneventful, and as each member of this unlikely fellowship found a place to bed for the remainder of the night, Polaris chose to do the same.
As sleep slowly overtook him Polaris thought of the coming day and wondered what it might hold in store, not only for himself, but for the rest of his companions. It seemed they'd done more talking than acting, something Polaris was unaccustomed to. Even in his days as a General his orders had always been short and sweet. He'd always saved the diplomacy for those more skilled in wordplay.
It seemed like only moments had passed when his eyes were opening and Darrel was exiting his room calling for everyone to wake up.
Getting to his feet and stretching his taught muscles, Polaris took note that the injuries he'd suffered the night before were non-existant this morning, healing in his slumber just as they always had before.
 Stepping out on the front porch Polaris took in deep lungfulls of the fresh morning air, eager to see what adventures the new day held. 
Morning 3/Pizza Hut/Lynn Annei
Lynn woke peacefully when Kae moved. It was just a bit before dawn, with a dim pre-glow of sunlight before the sun crested the horizon. Kae was acting weird, though, groaning as if in pain. Lynn peered through her eyelids, not wanting to alert anyone, or anything, to her consciousness while she surveyed the room for any dangers. Kae seemed fine, there was no one around. She was inspecting her tattoos. Were those new?
Kae lifted herself to her feet and was fiddling with her pack. Lynn rolled upward to a sitting position and watched; the mage was too focused in whatever she was thinking, perhaps just relaxing from the laxness of her demeanor, to notice Lynn's movement. She decided not to interrupt her friend, and instead just sat and watched. Something had changed with Kae. She looked... different. Prettier, even.
Finally Lynn's curiosity override her discretion, and she had to speak.
 "Kae... Something's different. What happened to you?" 
Kae Bryseis/Nal Hutta/Morning/Day 3
She'd gotten too curious as to what happened. People were asleep and others were outside. No one would notice if Kae checked out her new leg ink, so she quietly slipped her pants off. They even redid her undergarments...when the books said pinnacle of mortal appearance, they weren't kidding. A second shock of shocks was the realization of how bad these new markings would have hurt if she'd received them while awake. Nora did the first ones; the memories of pain returned to her. Love hurts. And to think she'd have to do that to her own apprentice someday.
The quiet did not last long enough. Caught tracing the lines of Lesser Aquas, she heard Lynn's voice. Attention was broken, and she didn't quite know what to say. 
"Externally, what you see is what you get. Internally, it'd take me all day to explain. To sum it up...if we don't save Hyrule, I'm dead twice over...forgive me for indecency...hope you slept ok..."
Kae went on to explain what had happened in her sleep, doing what she could to keep it jargon-free. The sources of her power granted her conditional boons out of necessity and dire need. In turn, much more was required of her. She could count on one hand from her research how many people were ever granted such ability, and one of the reasons she studied so hard was because the chances of this happening to her matched the odds of finding a snowflake on Death Mountain. However, she did explain the basic definition of the duties of a Scion. 
"Threads of fate have marked everyone in this hut. Magic's reach eclipses us all, but blessed are those who are free of its burden. They have clarity where confusion abounds."
Her voice went wispy again when she spoke those words. It didn't even feel like they were her own. They were not. 
She then remembered her pants were lying at her feet. In her embarrassment, she struggled back into them and hooked the belts back on. Fresh sealed tubes of various solutions were refreshed from the previous night's exhaustion. Nora's work, no doubt. But those little presents would stop coming. It was all in her hands now.
"High Command...never thought we'd see them. What do we say? How do we act? Will they respect us?"
 Kae had a look of worried curiosity on her face. There was still so much she didn't know. 
Morning 3/Hut-ankhamun/Lynn Annei
Lynn chuckled at Kae's awkwardness.
"Nice legs, babe." she said with a nudge. Teasing Kae was always amusing.
She wondered about Kae's new-found powers. No doubt an asset, yes, but she worried for her own fate now. It seemed the day of the mundane soldier was, indeed, coming to pass, as she had thought and feared the previous night. Nonetheless, she would do her duty to the Crown, no matter what that meant. And for the moment, that duty meant seeing this party safely to Castle Town.
"They will treat us how they wish to treat us, Kae. And we will treat them with respect. Just follow my lead, dear, and you will be fine. I have a feeling that they will be ecstatic to learn of your... imbuing. I... suspect you might even receive a promotion of sorts.
"You have become essential to the war effort. I may no longer accompany you. You are too important an asset for a simple soldier like me."
She shook her head, and caught her lower lip with her teeth. It hurt to admit such things out loud, even if she had been thinking them aloud. She wondered if Nora felt this way, too. The student surpasses the teacher. She was... jealous. Yes. What has Kae done to earn this? It has only been dropped in her lap! I have given my life, my soul, my entire being to serving Hyrule! And I get nothing of it, while Kae is granted such a boon?
Without thinking it, she choked out a short phrase. "It's not fair..."
And look at her! From the bookish subdued girl to this. She is a damn vixen! Unfathomable power and great beauty?
 She turned her head from Kae, to hide her embarrassment at such thoughts and to conceal her jealousy of her friend. 
Kae Bryseis/Hut/Morning/Day 3
Blurs. Lots of blurs. Shocks too.
Kae blushed when she received the compliment on her legs, sort of burying her face in her hands. It went deeper in when Lynn said she should go her own way.
"We need each other. I know nothing about how to function in a war, and you've got much to learn about how magic works. We can still help each other. The Chieftain paired us up for many good reasons...think about it. We both cover each others' weaknesses. There are gifts I can impart to you that will give you the edge you need to hold your own against anything. The only thing I prayed for was the ability to better protect my friends...The Three will bless you too...soon..."
She started to weep silently, but the shuddering in her shoulders betrayed her concealed attempt to keep composure. In between heaves, she struggled to say more.
"This is not a danger to face alone...evil will find us...It should be Nora, you, someone other than me! I don't know why it was me...it's not fair...just as confused...help..."
Kae didn't want to lose her friend. Being thrown into the deep end was bad enough. It would be far worse without someone to keep her head above water.
You need her. And she will need you before too long.
Removing her hands from her face, the stains of running eye makeup covered her fingertips. Kae's lip was quivering, and she tried to hold her head steady as she looked over at her discouraged partner. At least the unsteady breathing stopped.
"The two of us can take anything the Twili can throw at us. I can't do this without you."
 She hung her head again, shivering, worried. 
Morning 3/tuH s'lerraD/Lynn Annei
"Hey now. Buck up." Lynn said, collecting Kae in her arms and hugging her. "You're the lest best hope for Hyrule. What would the Goddesses say if they saw you blubbering like a five-year old? You don't want those two old warriors seeing you crying, do you? When we'll probably have to fight alongside them in the coming days?"
She caressed Kae's hair, trying to comfort her distraught friend. She was still jealous, yes, but now wasn't the time to hurt her feelings. Not when so much was happening to her. Not when she was so overwhelmed like this. It may not be fair to me, her powers. But I am not being fair to her, and that is worse. That I can control, at least.
"And look, your makeup is smudged now. You are tarnishing that pristine beauty the goddesses deemed to bestow on you." Instantly she regretted the envious anger that twinged her inflection. She shook her head at herself. "Forget it. We need to set off."
She parted from Kae and stood, offering her hand down to help the poor girl to stand as well. She forced a smile over her lips, showing a brave face to keep the mage in the proper mindset and masking her true thoughts and feelings. Meanwhile, she called out to the hut:
 "Hey, you lazy Dekus! Get up already so we can move out! The sun is up, and we are burning daylight!" 
Kae Bryseis/(insert hut joke here)-travel time/Morning-afternoon/Day 3
There was too much thought-noise to truly discern if Kae's words had any effect. Lynn's did, though. They moved Kae enough to try to fix herself up. She hadn't dismissed her mirror or kit yet, so she cleaned off her face and let the floating pencil re-do what she had gotten down a few minutes before. It would better bring out that unique eye color of hers, after all.
Being hugged, held; that was something Kae needed badly.
"You're totally right. They shouldn't see me like this. Bread on the way, just like yesterday."
One last check in the mirror confirmed the do-over was just right, and then she dismissed the kit. She took the helping hand and got to her feet.
There was a small "wood-burnt" Felis Minor about the size of a thumbprint right where Kae had slept. No words were made of it, and she blushed once more on her way out the door as she gnawed on the soon-to-be familiar breakfast of heroes.
"Oh no...he's gonna be miffed when he sees Felis Minor seared into the floor...what are they going to say when they see me..."
 In preparation for travel, Kae braced herself for reactions from the others and tried to go about things as though it was another fine day. Fresh morning breezes brought her back to that happy place she held in such high value. A few shards were conjured to hover nearby; they were her security blanket. 
Habiki Sol and Raki Cestus
Habiki and Raki walked inside, passing Polaris on their way.
“Is everybody packed yet?” said Raki, looking around at everyone in the hut. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Kae. What happened to her? he thought. He didn’t want to call attention to it, it wouldn’t be polite, so he turned to Habiki.
“Hey buddy, how are you feeli-” He stopped when he realized that Habiki was staring rather intensely at Kae.
He laughed nervously. “Hey, Habiki, you know we should go double-check our stocks, make sure everything’s in order before we head out.” he said, shoving Habiki lightly, trying to budge him. Habiki wasn’t paying attention. His mouth was gaping open, as if he were some kind of zombie.
Raki elbowed Habiki in the stomach, which finally got his attention, and the two walked over to make a show of checking their stores.
 Still, worried that despite his best efforts, he might have failed to not embarrass their new comrade, Raki turned to Kae. “I’m sorry, Habiki really has no manners. I don’t think he’s used to being around pretty girls.” 
Kae Bryseis/Hut Hut!/Morning/Day 3
There wasn't much preparation left to do. She conjured her quarterstaff and rested it along her shoulder before she overheard the Zora youth talking to the construct. It was then that she noticed it staring at her. 
It is staring up and down...it was probably staring at my bottom...creepy!
Kae blushed a good bit, stuttering to thank him for the compliment.
 "Um...thanks...flattered. Anything I can do to help get us out the door faster?" 
Raki Cestus/Darrel's Hut/Morning 3
"Um...thanks...flattered. Anything I can do to help get us out the door faster?" said Kae, offering to help Raki pack.
"Nah, I have everything together now." he said, slinging his pack over his shoulder. "Again, really, really sorry about that, I hope he didn't offend you. I don't think anyone's ever taught Habiki anything in the way of manners...and I don't think they'd make much headway if they tried."
He stepped towards the door of the hut as he talked to her, trying to make amends for Habiki's misbehavior with casual conversation.
 "“So, Miss Kae, I noticed those spellbooks of yours last night. I take it you’re a big reader?” He reached into his pack and pulled out one of his Zora biology textbooks. “I’m a pretty big reader myself." 
Kae Bryseis/Day 3/Zora's River Overlook/Morning
Kae always admired those with the incentive to learn. Her mundane training emphasized a strong mind and body, though she fell short in the physical department. Luckily, her academic scores compensated for poor obstacle course scores, rope climbs, or whatnot. 
And she couldn't pass up an opportunity to let her inner nerd out. Ever. She headed outside, grinning as though she was finally free to be herself.
"Don't worry about it. Reading, that's the most valuable hobby ever. Biology, eh? I'm not real fond of innards, but it is a fascinating subject regardless. But I'm an obscure one. I study religious and arcane lore...not just Sheikah stuff either."
She went on to explain how much she loved astronomical studies, and how there was an incredible observatory in Termina apparently, though neither Nora or herself had ever been.
 "But enough about me there, my studies bore people to death. What inspired you to pursue biology?" 
Raki Cestus/Outside Darrel’s Hut/Morning 3
“Termina? Oh wow, I hear their medicine is advanced even by Hylian standards. I would love to visit there someday.
“But enough about me there, my studies bore people to death. What inspired you to pursue biology?”
“Bore them? Are they crazy? You wield divine energies to freaking blow **** up, you communicate with ambassadors to the gods. Are there really morons out there who wouldn’t hang onto every word about the mechanics of it?”
As they stepped down the porch, he saw the weapons he had gathered for Lynn.
oh, I almost forgot, he thought.
“Hey Lynn, Habiki and I gathered up your extra weapons for you. They’re by the door.” he watched as she gathered her weapons and followed them down the steps. Habiki was a bit ahead of them, standing by the river near Polaris.
Despite last night’s hostilities, Raki suddenly found himself amid everything he admired. His hero, Polaris, was within yards of him, and he had to restrain himself not to simply attack the man with questions. He was talking to a fellow intellect, Kae, someone with whom he could discuss things beyond the surface…something he could never do with the other younglings, having to adopt their goofy slang just to fit in. He was more himself around these people.
He was walking among light warriors and ancient heroes and bizarre artificial life-forms…and then there was Lynn. She was the most mundane of their little band of warriors, yet despite himself, despite everything he had said to her the night before, Raki found himself admiring her, too. She had no great power to speak of, unlike the others, and yet she was putting her life on the line for something she believed in (albeit maybe a little overzealously)…that was true courage. When had Raki ever gotten that opportunity to find out what he was really made of? He’d have to be sure to tell her that, before they parted ways.
Shaking himself from his thoughts, he turned back to Kae, and reentered the conversation.
“But like I was saying, I don’t find it boring at all. I would love to be able to learn even half of what you can do. But as for me, I’m not very obscure at all. I like to know more than the why, I like to know the how, and the how of the how, and the how of that, and so on. he paused for a second, gathering his thoughts together. “That’s why I’m into biology. My father showed me an advanced Hylian timepiece when I was little, and I got in trouble for taking it apart…but ever since then I’ve always been interested in how things tick…like the body, it’s far more complex than a timepiece, the way all these inter-related systems combine to form a whole that is far more than the sum of its parts. So plumbing its mysteries appeals to me. That’s why I want to be a physician, or perhaps a surgeon, when I get older.” 
He paused, looking back at Habiki to make sure he wasn’t getting himself into trouble. He seemed troubled.
“He’s really a good guy, you know. He’s not trying to hurt anybody, he just lacks social skills. What’s going to happen to him? What if High Command decides his parentage is more important than his intentions?” 
Polaris/ Darrels Hut/ Morning 3
Polaris, who had been ready to depart long before the rest, now stood by the rivers edge and found himself harassing a few small fish that were attempting to swim upstream. He was holding them in place by effectively increasing the strength of the rivers current against them.
Growing bored with the fish, he released his hold on the current and allowed them to advance. Looking back over his shoulder and towards the hut, he saw Habiki approaching. The golem, with whom Polaris was enthralled. Comprised entirely of clay, yet he had the capability to think and act on his own. And also it seemed that he had the potential to be a powerful ally if he were ever able to fully harness the power of his orb.
Polaris didn't know why, but he found himself more and more convinced by Habiki's story that he had been given a task to fulfill by a light spirit. But he was, he believed him. The poor thing was too simple to lie in an effective manner, therefore Polaris found him easier to believe.
 Turning to face Habiki, "Oh, hello.  
Same Bat-Time/Same Bat-Channel/Batman
Lynn spaced out a bit as Kae and Raki talked academics. Lynn wasn't stupid; she had gone through the Sheikah training and graduated from the courses with high honors. It was only that she preferred to concentrate on areas of study more applicable to her own life style. Politics, Espionage, History, Psychology. Not magic mumbo-jumbo. And while she had a sizable volume of biological and anatomical information stored in her memory, it was mostly concerning how best to take apart, cause harm, rather then how to fix damage and heal injuries. Certainly, one accounted for the other, but there was only so much that was interchangeable.
After all, finding and stabbing a kidney was much easier then digging into someone's gut and mending the organ while taking care to leave other inner working of the body unharmed. And, honestly,she didn't much care for this 'Raki'. He rubbed her the wrong way, so to speak. Uppity. Assuming. Know-it-all. She didn't hate children, in fact back at Kakariko, the real one, not the publicly known facade village, she adored spending time with the Sheikah children. But this Zora child seemed to possess all the qualities she disliked about younglings.
Plus, she was still in a bit of a foul mood over the whole Kae situation. So if she was short when she cut into the conversation to answer Raki's question, she found no reason to feel sorry for the clipped tone of voice.
"High Command will decide what is best, and we will abide by their decision. That is your 'what if'."
Then she called out to Polaris and Darrel. "Oy! Lantern-boy! Mr. Freeze! Come along! The caravan is leaving for Castle Town!
 "And do not forget Clayface!" 
== == 
Category:Polaris Eridanus
Category:Redawson2